Promised Castor Bay flood fix delayed indefinitely
A stormwater upgrade to solve ongoing serious flooding issues in Castor Bay has been put on hold as work elsewhere is prioritised.
Concerned local residents want a commitment from Auckland Council to proceed with the plan to increase the size of under-
ground stormwater pipes taking water from the floodplain at the intersection of Castor Bay Rd and Beach Rd, to relieve disruptive flooding where the roads converge.
The Castor Bay Ratepayers and Residents Association (CABBRA) was promised the upgrade by council arm Healthy Waters
after the destructive January 2023 floods. “Two-and-a half years on, we have now been advised the project is on hold because the preferred solution is not fit for purpose – or, as we read it, too expensive,” CABBRA chair Hamish Anderson told locals in a circular. Call me now Jelena
Trio find bright side at flood recovery event
Looking ahead... Milford Primary School students (from left) brother and sister Asher (5) and Betsy Bott (7) and friend Hugo Page (5). They were among children who won small prizes at a session last month when residents brainstormed flood-recovery ideas. Stories, page 6-7.
Award-Winning. Ultra-Discreet.
Devon port Birkenhead Grey Lynn
Experience the World's first and only award winning, rechargeable, almost invisible hearing aid, featuring superior speech in noise performance. Call 09 242 0866 now to book your risk-free 14 day trial
Sign up online to receive our fortnightly issue by email
NZ COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARDS
Newspaper of the Year: Runner-up 2022
MANAGING EDITOR: Rob Drent
EDITOR: Janetta Mackay
ADVERTISING: Candice Izzard
PRODUCTION: Brendon De Suza
Our team also works on the long-standing and award-winning Devonport Flagstaff newspaper.
NEXT ISSUE: August 22
ADVERTISING DEADLINE: August 15
WRITE TO US: We welcome letters. Please limit to 300 words on local topics. Noms-de-plume or unnamed submissions will not be printed. Email news@rangitoto-observer.co.nz
HON SIMON WATTS
MP for North Shore northshore@parliament.govt.nz simonwattsmp
Library funding ideas canvassed but remodelling plan remains in limbo
Council staff have presented seven suggestions for raising more funds for the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board’s over-budget plan to remodel Takapuna Library into a combined library and community hub.
These included a targeted rate, exploring build partnerships or seeking central council support from various sources – such as a sustainability fund that might pay for solar panels, or the Delivering Differently Programme, which supports merged use of council assets.
None, including selling assets, offers a quick or easy way forward, leaving board members, who earlier unanimously backed the library remodelling, in a bind. More so, when staff said they aimed to report back, but not until next year, after further scoping. A new board will be in place by then.
ted to doing something, she said.
“Perhaps it needs a zhuzh up and a reconfiguration to maximise use of space. “We will probably not get a great aspirational design, but we will get some good results.”
Powell indicated a key topic of confidential discussion was the run-down Mary Thomas Centre (MTC), which the board resolved in June 2023 to sell to help fund library upgrades. Sale plans have been paused under council staff advice due to market conditions.
Selling the Community Services Building – in which groups from the MTC are now settled – was also intended, but advice in April was that the combined sales would still lead to a shortfall for major remodelling.
“We’re a board that wants to get things done,” board chair Mel Powell had said at the open workshop last week, which moved from public debate to a confidential session for further discussions.
Residents at the meeting left unimpressed at the truncated first update since April.
Afterwards, Powell told the Observer it looked like now being a case of seeing what could be done with the available money.
She said the scope of the reimagined library-hub was “created by visionaries, and that’s really important to have, but in this [economic] environment it’s challenging”.
Adding a third level on the building was too costly, but the board remained commit-
The latest scenarios staff presented were to proceed with just a light upgrade to meet minimum service level repairs, made up of structural, roofing, fire protection and services work, or to do a more significant upgrade, including internal reconfiguration, but not recladding or other changes to the building’s exterior, which the full project design proposed. Costings were not given.
The board’s desired full renovation remains on the staff list of scenarios, as does demolishing and rebuilding on the current library site – but without any clear way to find the necessary funds.
Powell said the library, while tired on the outside, was structurally fine. Her personal view was decisions on it “will probably transcend many a [board] term”.
Homelessness surge prompts joint plan
Community and church groups are drawing up a plan to tackle rising homelessness in Takapuna and across the wider North Shore.
Police, local board, business, church and community representatives have been meeting over the issue and related instances of anti-social behaviour.
Several trespass notices have been issued in Takapuna, including near the library. Numbers of homeless have swelled to
Years 1 & 2 ONLY in 2026
For further information and to complete an online application www.tps.school.nz
Principal’s Tour Wednesday 3 September 2025 @4.00pm Book at enrol@tps.school.nz
Closing date for applications is Wednesday 8 October 2025
Ballot (if required) drawn Wednesday 15 October 2025. Results emailed within 3 school days.
around 20, says outgoing local board chair Mel Powell, who next week intends to ask the board to approve $10,000 to go towards an attempt to help deal with the issue.
The aim is to set up a jointly funded North Shore “navigator” position on a 12-month trial to help people and create a directory of available services. The last emergency accommodation in Takapuna closed at the end of June, after Government funding cuts.
Authorised by Hon Simon Watts, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.
Shore girl turns Chicago tough nut for first big role
Forrest Hill resident Lily Bourne is thrilled to have snared one of the lead parts in razzle-dazzle musical Chicago, which began a national tour at the Bruce Mason Centre last week.
Twenty-three-year old Bourne is very much the fledgling performer among a notable cast that includes plenty of well-known faces, including Jackie Clarke, Joel Tobeck, Andy Grainger and Nomi Cohen, under the directorship of theatre maestro Michael Hurst.
“Now I’m in a room with them – it’s a matter of soaking up all their knowledge,” she tells the Observer.
She has found plenty of encouragement – “no question is a dumb question” – and also some cheering coincidences. She is working with another young actor with whom she made her professional debut in Fun Home at the Court Theatre in 2024, and with a choreographer whose work she has studied.
Bourne says people assume she’s a Shore girl, perhaps because of how seamlessly she has fitted into the relaxed beachy lifestyle here. But she grew up in land-locked Palmerston North.
After training at NASDA (the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art) in Christchurch, she has had stints in touring cabarets in Australia and on cruise ships. Once settled in Auckland, she laughs that “it seemed very appropriate” that the first job she booked was a cameo role on Shortland Street. She played an influencer peddling wellness products, caught up in a sub-plot about people coming to the clinic with worms.
With singing a strong suit, Bourne was eager for more musical roles so she auditioned for Chicago. She was thrilled to get a callback for what she thought was an ensemble role, but after performing prepared pieces she was asked to sing some Velma Kelly parts.
“I went, ‘oh my gosh, is what I think happening’?”
A few days later she learned she had won the tough-cookie role. “It was the most incredible thing that has happened to me.”
She promises audiences will get to see a grittier, sexier version of the hit musical set in the 1920s. Taking it on the road will be her first chance to tour in New Zealand and she plans to catch up with friends in Christchurch before performances in Dunedin.
This week she is relishing the easy commute from Forrest Hill before the 12-show Takapuna run ends on Saturday 9 August. “It takes five minutes to get here,” she says. Bourne reckons the North Shore will remain her base, being so close to the city but a world away. Favourite spots include the beaches and Lake Pupuke.
As to next steps career-wise, she says Chicago has reinforced her love of musical theatre.
“That’s my one true love, my joy, what I want to keep doing.”
Short commute... Forrest Hill’s Lily Bourne in character for Chicago, which opened a New Zealand tour in Takapuna
Darby calls time as five seek Shore’s two council seats
Five candidates are competing for two Auckland Council seats in the North Shore ward in the upcoming local body elections – but three-term councillor Chris Darby is not among them.
The other current councillor, Richard Hills, is standing again, but Stanley Point resident Darby is bringing his council career to a close, telling the Observer it felt like the right time to go. “After 21 years in public service, my council chapter closes – making space for something new.”
The other candidates for the ward revealed when nominations closed last week were two Kaipatiki Local Board members, chair John Gillon and deputy chair Danielle Grant, along with Act Local candidate Helena Roza and independent Eric Boon Leong Chuah.
Gillon, Grant and Chuah are also standing for the Kaipatiki Local Board and Roza for the Devonport-Takapuna Board. Chuah is also standing for mayor.
Gillon, who leads the Shore Action board team, is standing for council as an independent “Putting the North Shore First” candidate. Grant, who took a tilt for council under the Communities and Residents (C&R) banner in 2022, is going it alone this time as “The Shore Choice”. Left-leaning Hills is running under a
Big field in race for local board roles
Twenty people are contesting the six seats on the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, the same large number as in 2022.
They include the previously announced six-strong tickets from the two groupings on the current board – A Fresh Approach and Communities and Residents (C&R) – and former board member Trish Deans, who is running as an independent.
A Fresh Approach is without board chair Mel Powell or member Peter Allen, who announced last month they weren’t standing again. Deputy chair Terence
“Positive Leadership for the Shore” banner. • Darby was first elected to public office as a North Shore City councillor in 2004. When Auckland Council was created he had a term as Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chair followed, before he was elected as a Northern Ward councillor. He had two terms as Planning Committee chair. Transport and urban design were among his key interests.
“I’ve loved this work. Not every day was easy, but every day mattered. I gave it
Harpur is sharing the A Fresh Approach ticket with Kimberly Graham, Karin Horin, Scott MacArthur, Karleen Reeve and Lewis Rowe.
C&R’s current board members George Wood and Gavin Busch are running alongside Mike Single – who was last election’s highest polling unsuccessful candidate – and newcomers Kaumosi Opie, Kamini Schoonbee and Neil Zent. Others in the running are Act’s Helena Roza and independents Mary-Anne Benson-Cooper, Paul Cornish, Pete Cronshaw, Garth Ellingham, James Rohloff and Kent Tregonning.
everything,” he said.
Among his successes he lists his role in advancing Takapuna’s Waiwharariki Anzac Square and Devonport Library. He cites the lack of progress on an upgrade for Lake Rd as a disappointment.
• The Observer will publish candidate profiles next month and cover candidate meetings. Postal ballots will be delivered to letter boxes between 9 and 22 September. Voting closes on 11 October.
Back to the future — candidate produces own newspaper
North Shore local body candidate John Gillon has printed his own four-page newspaper distributed to letterboxes as part of his election campaign.
The North Shore Gazette started arriving in letterboxes in Sunnynook and Devonport last week. The paper features key issues affecting the North Shore ward along with Gillon’s potential solutions.
He said the initial print run for the fourpage glossy tabloid was 30,000, costing around $5000 – a substantial part of his campaign budget, which will also include
billboards and advertisements in the Rangitoto Observer and Devonport Flagstaff. Ironically, the Gazette appeared at the
start of the week in which the final issue of the North Shore Times was printed.
Gillon said he had previously used newspaper-style letterbox drops for the Shore Action ticket during campaigns in the Kaipatiki Local Board area, where he is currently board chair.
Standing for Auckland Council as an independent ward councillor this year, Gillon said the letterbox drops would primarily focus on other suburbs in the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area, where he was less well known.
THE GREAT SKI TUROA GETAWAY! WIN SHOP TO
BE IN TO WIN:
• 4 X 2-DAY SKI OR LEARN-TO-SKI PASSES AT TUROA • A MERCEDES-BENZ GLE SUV TO GET YOU THERE IN STYLE • 2 NIGHTS' ACCOMMODATION AT POWDERHORN CHATEAU
SCAN THE QR CODE AND ADD YOUR RECEIPT. MINIMUM SPEND OF $45.
Promotion runs 5–31 August 2025. Winner drawn 2 September. Follow @milfordshopsnz for the latest updates! Terms and Conditions apply.
Castor Bay flood fix ‘not found yet’
From page 1
After receiving a council memo revealing the work was on hold, Anderson last month wrote to the Mayor and North Shore ward councillors raising “serious concerns” at the decision.
“When in flood, traffic is prevented from driving through the area and some residents’ driveways are inaccessible,” his letter noted.
Flooding was becoming more frequent, even when rain did not seem particularly intense or prolonged, the letter said. Accompanying photographs show the Beach Rd crossing inundated on 4 June.
CABBRA has also questioned the possible impact from a new subdivision nearby.
After a discouraging response from council staff, it called for further explanation from Healthy Waters, setting up a public meeting this week after the Observer went to print.
Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members were notified the project was on hold last month. Chair Mel Powell said this was a surprise.
She understood lack of staff was a reason for the delay, with the Healthy Waters teams heavily involved in design for Wairau catchment flood remediation to reduce risk in Milford.
The board would continue to advocate for the separate Castor Bay work.
Powell said the board had also been pushing for more Healthy Waters staff. Water engineers were in short supply “There’s just not enough people resource.”
For a complex 10-year project such as the Wairau work, Healthy Waters would struggle if it lost specialist staff.
In a response to CABBRA, a “customer issues adviser” for council chief executive Phil Wilson discounted the controversial
five-dwelling development at 76 Beach Rd as a contributing factor to flooding on Beach Rd. “The development is required to provide on-site stormwater mitigation, so it will not contribute to any additional stormwater flow.” Only a small portion of its site was on the floodplain.
CABBRA said it appreciated the complex flooding issues in the Wairau, but wanted the Castor Bay stormwater upgrade to be budgeted for and put on a timetable for delivery.
It also called for council to keep “a very close watch” on development and do more preventative catchpit maintenance.
Ahead of the meeting at the Observation Post at Kennedy Park on 8 August, it said it had won a commitment from Healthy Waters to increase catchpit cleaning from twice a year to four times per year, with the extra rounds to occur between March and June.
Healthy Waters staff have committed to explain to residents an overview of stormwater options investigated to date. But they say no firm budget or timeline for the stormwater work can be given because a solution at an acceptable cost has yet to be found.
They say investigations will continue and residents will be advised should an effective solution be identified.
FEEL & MOVE BETTER WITH STUDIO PILATES
Studio Pilates provides a safe and low impact 40-minute Reformer Workout in a luxe studio setting. Programmed by Physiotherapists and fully supervised by world-class Pilates instructors, some key health benefits include:
• Pain management
• Improved bone density
• Cardiovascular endurance
• Improved energy and Increased mobility
• Stronger muscles through resistance training
• Improved posture, core strength and muscle endurance
GET STARTED WITH 6 CLASSES FOR $60*
Residents of Haumaru’s Stratford Court pensioner units in Milford want more certainty about their safety and future, says Gloria Howe who has lived there, bordering the Wairau Creek, for 16 years.
“It would be better if we knew what would happen if we flood again,” she says. “The chances of it happening again are fairly good.”
The 79-year-old contacted the Observer after reading in the paper’s last issue that Stratford Court is one of the flood-hit Haumaru and private retirement villages on which Auckland Council is conducting risk assessments.
She said there had been little clear communication, beyond “PR”, from Haumaru. But she said assessors had been on-site three times since June. She has concerns about where residents will end up if reports indicate serious ongoing risk. Haumaru’s board will make decisions once it receives council advice.
“I’ll have died before they widen the creek,” Howe says.
Stratford Court had knee-high flooding in January 2023. While this did not enter its 30 raised units, it lapped at steps to front doors. Howe blames the innundation for hairline cracks inside her flat.
“The creek came right up the back of the next row of units, but water also came rushing down from the street at the front,” she says.
Since the floods, six terrace houses have been built in Stratford Ave and another development is underway on the corner with Shakespeare Rd, opposite Milford Primary School.
At least four home-owners along Stratford Ave have agreed to buyouts.
Flood plain... the inundated Beach Rd pedestrian crossing after heavy rain on 4 June
Residents chew over Milford’s post-flood options
Ideas from residents to make Milford a more inviting and resilient suburb emerged from a recent community flood-recovery session.
More than 60 people turned out to consider hundreds of public suggestions on how council might best use land from bought-out properties along Wairau Creek and otherwise enhance the wider area.
“I want to know what’s going on,” said one man, explaining to the Observer why he attended the Sunday afternoon session at the Milford Senior Citizens Club (MSCC) hall late last month. He found himself at one of seven tables for group discussion on different themes, where participants ranked suggestions into key recommendations.
His table’s theme was Next Generation, looking at ways to make the flood-hit area more family friendly and future focused. The ideas coalesced into a vision for a Milford Trail, to connect the sea and Lake Pupuke, winding along the creek bank, with pocket parks and off-road routes to safely get about and enjoy the suburb.
Trail activities could include nature walks connecting to more play areas, with exercise gear for adults. Art installations, planting days, community gardens and spaces to rest and for small events were also suggested, along with involving schoolchildren and cultural groups.
Other groups considered themes such
as Be Prepared, Come Together, Bridge the Gap, and Grow Green – Stay Blue, in reference to council’s planned Blue-Green Network flood-mitigation scheme.
Many of the suggestions overlapped, with ideas to make people feel safer, more involved and more connected.
They were initially gathered over a month of community engagement events led by the Milford Residents Association and other community volunteers. Some local-body election candidates were at the session, where frustration at council communications and slow progress was also much in evidence from the initial feedback.
“Council needs to speed up the work on the wetland – we cannot afford to wait,” said one submitter. “We are just sitting ducks until further work takes place,” said another.
OPEN DAYS RYMAN VILLAGE
15 & 16 AUGUST, 10AM - 2PM
Join us at our open days and explore our lifestyle and care options, tour our show homes and see the premium amenities on offer. Plus, sign up to an independent apartment or townhouse by 30 September 2025 and you’ll receive 10,000 New World Dollars, on us.*
We look forward to seeing you.
*Participating villages only, promotion terms and Clubcard terms and conditions apply. WILLIAM SANDERS VILLAGE 7 Ngataringa Road, Devonport
Flood-mitigation work in Milford will be largely part of the as yet unfunded Stage 2 of council’s wider Wairau catchment scheme, so is several years away.
Stage 1 is wetland detention at AF Thomas Park in Takapuna, which aims to reduce risk to homes in Milford, but without tackling specific local creek concerns.
As some of the 139 homes bought out to date are removed from Milford – including some soon in Woodbridge Lane and others next year – empty sections will increasingly raise questions about what takes their place.
A council facilitator who led the workshop said the ideas for Milford’s future would be further refined so they could help guide elected members in future decision-making. The local authorities’ big battle, however, is finding budget to deliver on proposals.
Big Buddy brings in North Shore identity to helm charity
Shaun Quincey, famous for rowing across the Tasman, has taken up a new challenge –chair of the Big Buddy charity.
Quincey, a Shore local who was schooled at Takapuna Grammar School, lives in Campbells Bay and runs a business in Takapuna, takes over from Travis Field, the owner of the Fantail & Turtle gastro pub at Smales Farm, who was chair of the Big Buddy Mentoring Trust for a decade and on its board for 14 years.
Quincey (40) had taken part in Big Buddy fundraising events over the years, but jumped at the chance to lead the organisation himself and make a difference to young boys’ lives across New Zealand.
As a father of two young boys – Mac (11) and Charlie (9), who go to Murrays Bay Intermediate and Campbells Bay Primary respectively, Quincey knows the gap which would be left if “I was hit by a bus or helicopter or something”.
“They do not want for much – but a lot of young boys aren’t so fortunate,” he said. “I wanted to be part of something that can provide boys mentors to help them make better decisions, manage their temper... someone to talk to when they face challenges.”
Quincey said he was fortunate to have good mentors in his father, step-father and members of the Mairangi Bay Surf Lifesaving Club, which he joined as a teenager.
He became famous after completing a solo row from Australia to New Zealand in March 2010. His father, Colin, also rowed the Tasman the other way in 1977.
Shaun later became involved in the finance industry and currently runs Simfuni, a software company supplying products to the insurance sector.
Quincey has committed to the Big Buddy
Men who mentor... Incoming
Shaun Quincey (left) is replacing Travis Field at the charity.
chairmanship for three years and primarily wants to work on ways to finance the charity “so it can grow and survive”.
One of Big Buddy’s problems is proving its success statistically to potential corporate sponsors. “Having a massive input into a young boy so they become a more stable person who is not going off the rails is not headlining grabbing,” Quincey says.
Big Buddy was working on ways to quantify the impact.
In the meantime, Quincey encourages potential Big Buddies to come forward as around 60 boys at any given time are waiting for mentors.
Travis Field will continue to be involved with Big Buddy as a major partner, supporting fundraising events through Fantail & Turtle. The venue has raised more than $400,000 hosting long lunches over the years, with the next event lined up for October.
Field’s long involvement began after a friend with terminal illness arranged for his two sons to have a Big Buddy before he died. He then became an advocate for its value.
“It’s such a simple but beautiful idea. A Big Buddy for a boy without a dad present.”
Local rates-arrears rise by more than 30 per cent in year
Rates arrears on properties in the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area have soared by more than 30 per cent in the last year, rising from $2.6 million to $3.4 million.
The number of properties affected is up nearly 20 per cent, from 837 in July 2024 to 998 at the same time this year, Auckland Council figures show. Breakdowns by suburb were not available.
Council head of rates, data and revaluation Rhonwen Heath said council knew the cost of living had increased for Auckland households “and rates bills might have become more difficult to manage, for many”.
Properties were formally in arrears when rates had not been fully paid by 30 June.
The council’s financial year has just ended. “Many rates arrears are often cleared around this time of year, therefore current figures are likely to reduce further,” Heath said.
Council could often work through payment plans to help clear rates, but as a last resort takes legal action. If an owner has a mortgage, rates can be recovered from the lending institution.
Banks often communicated with their customers regarding a council notice of intention to demand payment. The issue was often resolved before court action was required.
In the last six months, no unpaid-rates cases in Devonport-Takapuna progressed to court proceedings,” Heath said.
Anyone concerned about paying rates was encouraged to get in touch with council. Assistance available includes a government-funded rates rebate scheme and a rates postponement scheme for residential properties.
In 2024, rates arrears were recovered from lenders for 1.38 per cent of all Auckland ratepayers (8588 properties).
Big Buddy chair
Local service cuts mooted as funding rejig takes effect
Cuts to local services – ranging from reduced library hours to fewer grants for community groups and higher fees for public venue use – are again on the council agenda.
The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board (DTLB) faces a $460,000 reduction in its $1.7 million budget for the 2026-27 year.
Auckland Council staff last month presented board members with options for finding savings or reducing spending, including:
• Cuts in library and pool hours.
• Reducing community grants.
• Reviewing environmental-group funding.
• Reduced cleaning and bin emptying in town centres.
• Mowing less frequently in parks and turning reserve gardens into bush.
• Hiked fees for commercial park use.
The DTLB is one of seven of the region’s 21 boards that will be worse off under the “fairer funding” model council has agreed to redistribute central funding away from an assets base to reflect population, the size of the area and needs.
For the current financial year its impact was delayed by councillors agreeing to a one-off transitional top-up for impacted boards. But the board has now been asked to indicate preferred areas of savings for preparing the budget that takes effect next July.
The final decision-making early next year
on local priorities will be a tough sign-off for whoever is elected to the board in October.
But in September the current board is expected to firm up preferences.
Staff suggested savings could be made on library services within a council minimum service over six days and 44 hours a week. Keeping only one of Takapuna Library and Devonport Library open and closing the other at certain times, such as evening hours or weekends is one option.
Officers will provide more detail on library cost savings and off-peak Takapuna Pool and Leisure Centre usage and charges.
Members said they had little choice but to look at the $200,000 grants budget, one of their few big discretionary spends, with $800,000 tied up in the likes of parks maintenance contracts over which they have no say. “That’s where some of the costs needs to come from,” said member Terence Harpur.
Staff ideas of reviewing the $160,000 in current funding for environmental groups Pupuke Birdsong Project and Restoring Takarunga Hauraki were given short shrift by board chair Mel Powell ,who said feedback showed the community rated the environment the top priority
A suggested downgrade of cleaning and bin servicing in Takapuna, Milford or Devonport town centres was rejected. But reduc-
tions in some park mowing and converting gardens in reserves into lower up-keep native bush are on the table. Member George Wood warned letting parks deteriorate could cause future costly issues with weeds.
The board rejected new charges for sportsfield use, but were open to the possibility of charging more for commercial use of parks.
Revenue opportunities for boards are limited. Commercial lease money for the likes of Takapuna’s camping ground, Sunday market, beach cafe and the early childhood centre beside its pool, is returned to central council, despite the board being the landholder. Harpur said this was wrong.
Talk of council devolving responsibility to more-empowered boards was only talk when it came without the wherewithal to back up landholder decision-making, he said.
Maintenance of heritage assets is another burden that falls heavily on the board.
Targeted rates have been suggested by staff as a way to raise money for particular spending, but the process is protracted and the idea unpopular. Harpur said it might be acceptable if for a new long-term asset.
A council review is identifying assets boards might sell, but this offers little prospect of early budgetary relief.
Staff will return in September with more information to guide future budget debate.
Comment: Local Board victors will face unenviable decisions
Funding cuts and council processes will be the big issues for board members to get their heads around after the local body elections. They will also need to realise that after campaigning about funding pet projects or tightening the reins, enabling this is often out of their hands. Decisions made higher up the Auckland Council food chain determine most of what happens in the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area.
For all the talk by Mayor Wayne Brown
of empowering local boards, there is little sign of shifting decision-making their way.
With cuts required under the “fairer funding” model set to be implemented from mid-2026, board members chosen in October will be subsumed in inductions and a paper war of options and recommendations.
New members will enter the battle late and on an uneven playing field. When board meetings resume properly in February, budgets already workshopped with the current
board will be presented for debate and signoff. Their term will start having to decide on cutting community grants, delaying local upgrades and considering asset sales. Useful advocacy can still be done, such as pushing for local democracy to be enhanced not straitjacketed.
But until that happens, is it any wonder getting voters to turn out for local body elections remains a hard ask?
– Janetta Mackay, editor
newspapers
“We love the coverage of our community events in the Rangitoto Observer and seeing the smiling faces in the paper each fortnight” — Takapuna Beach Business Association
The Devonport Flagstaff and The Rangitoto Observer are delivered fortnightly to more than 20,000 homes from Devonport to Castor Bay. Find the Observer also in Takapuna and Milford town centre street stands Contact us with your news tips: news@devonportflagstaff.co.nz
to www.devonportflagstaff.co.nz
Takapuna Winter Lights brightens chilly nights
The Takapuna Winter Lights festival attracted more than 60,000 people to Hurstmere Rd and Waiwharariki
Anzac Square. After traffic and crowd issues last year, free tickets for specific time slots were introduced, with 57,500 allocated, helping spread numbers from Friday and Saturday into Thursday and Sunday sessions.
Late walk-ins led to the record attendance last month, said organiser the Takapuna Beach Business Association. Takapuna Grammar School music and dance students performed during the annual event, which also featured musician Fazerdaze, street performers and more.
More pictures, pages 12-14.
PICTURES: GRACE WATSON
Winging it... Street performer Kea Dances in action during the Takapuna Winter Lights festival
Checking the view... Young vistors study an installation and (right) North Shore dad Jesaiah Igama enjoys a free pedalbike ride with son Jhunneil along Hurtsmere Rd
Shine on... Special tours organised by a disability group, led by
in black
with
allowed for easier access at two quiet early sessions and wound up with a Duck Island ice-cream treat for all
Fairy good... The Friday evening performance by singer Fazerdaze (above) lit up the former Commons courtyard, drawing fans, including (left) a dance performer
Terence Harpur (front row,
shirt
blue collar),
Dancing to their own beat... Silent disco-goers (above) donnned earphones for an audio experience that led four-year-old Felix (below) to go flat out
Family outings... Takapuna couple Ash and Brandon rugged up with young Veronica. Right: Milford parents Asif and Risvana with Arshan (4) and Liyana (10).
Noodle time... Spaghetti lights proved a popular photography spot, with some in the crowd dressing up for their time to shine
Noteworthy... Accordionist
Sparkling... Strikingly costumed students from Takapuna Grammar School’s ballet group included Edie Warman-Clough (left) and Iris Carins, who won over a young fan at the Winter Lights festival
Alex Smirnov (above) and singer Ruby Jacobs (above, right) were among other TGS performers at the festival
Takapuna Q4 on The Boulevard, Smales Farm 09 486 1588 Mairangi Bay 429 Beach Road, Mairangi Bay 09 442 1266 Browns Bay 13 Bute Road, Browns Bay 09 478 5050
Law change opens options for use of Takapuna club’s landmark building
Takapuna Boating Club has secured the law change required to operate its historic Bayswater clubhouse on a more commercial footing, opening up options to make restoring it more viable.
“What happens next would be up to the boating club and the community,” said North Shore MP Simon Watts, who shepherded the change through Parliament. “The possibilities are now, for the first time in many years, truly open.”
Club commodore Wendy Baker told the Observer it was “brilliant” to learn the Auckland Harbour Board and Takapuna Borough Council Empowering Act Amendment Bill passed into law last week. “It’s been many years to get to this point.”
The club could now consider options for greater use of the near 150-year-old building, which needed restoration and revitalisation.
“This legislation ensures that we can restore the clubhouse and create a thriving community space,” she said.
Ideas for the building have included leasing some of it to generate revenue through a cafe or restaurant on the top floor and having rooms available for community use.
The club uses the building as a base for board and foil sailing at Bayswater, with tenants on its lower level only, but to date has been restricted to boating-related operations.
Baker said having a local facility governed by a law dating to 1923, rather than regional or local government regulations was complex and unusual. Previous commodores had pushed for change.
Watts picked up the club’s case after being elected to Parliament in 2020. After Devonport-Takapuna Local Board support, Auckland Council drafted a bill, allowing the case to go to Parliament.
Watts said he was pleased to have assisted in getting it on the Parliamentary agenda.
“While the drafters of the original 1923 legislation had good intentions, in practice, it has meant the clubhouse cannot secure the commercial income necessary to maintain itself, and without a law change, the clubhouse will remain underused and unmaintained.
This Bill expands the ways the clubhouse can be used, striking the correct balance in allowing some commercial usage, so long as the proceeds are used for the good of the community or to maintain the site’s built heritage.”
Baker said a club committee would look at funding opportunities and seek stakeholder and community input on ideas for the nearly 150-year-old building, which was barged to its site around 100 years ago and is remembered by older residents as the scene of community dances in the 1950s.
Reflective Milford artwork vandalised
Milford’s Reserve’s shiny spherical sculpture, Beacon (above), was vandalised last month, with scratching to the highly reflective surface upsetting residents. Staff from Auckland Council, which installed the sculpture in 2020, are working with artist Lang Ea on a repair plan.
For Devonport-Takapuna Local Board
Gavin Busch Neil Zent
Kamini Schoonbee
Mike Single Kaumosi Opie
George Wood
Westlake tops schools rugby ladder ahead of semis
Chalking another one up… Westlake beat Rosmini last Saturday for the second time this season to reaffirming their favouritism for the North Harbour secondary schools rugby championship
Padel operator given lease for town square
Padel courts are coming to Takapuna’s town square in a deal struck between council and a private operator.
School Caretaker/ Groundsman
We are seeking a dedicated school caretaker/groundsman to join our team at Hauraki School in Takapuna. This is a fulltime role and involves maintaining the school grounds to a high standard and playing a vital role in ensuring the school’s environment is safe, clean and well presented. Salary negotiable.
For more details email principal@hauraki.school.nz or phone 027 44 55789.
Part-Time
Socials & Graphics Role
7 hours per week
$28–32 per hour
Devonport
Hey local creatives!
Got a knack for social media and graphic design? Join our whanau at the Rose Centre and help us bring community initiatives to life with your skills.
If you’re keen to make an impact, send your resume and portfolio to: kiaora@rosecentre.co.nz
Pacific Padel has been granted a three-year lease for a site at the southern end of Waiwharariki Anzac Square, which is earmarked for future commercial development. Playing surfaces will be laid from October, with play due to begin in November. Padel, which has elements of tennis and squash, is one of the world’s fastest growing sports.
Takapuna players win Harbour selection
Takapuna Rugby Club has eight players in the North Harbour NPC squad this season: Tristyn Cook, Jack Lee, Leka Tu’ungafasi, Gage Jackson, Tamarau McGahan, Manu Paea, Tika Lelenga and Sofai Maka.
Westlake Boys High School – the dominant side in North Harbour secondary schools rugby in recent years – haven’t had things all their own way in 2025, but a 31-11 win over Rosmini last Saturday signalled they are still the team to beat when finals begin this weekend.
Westlake topped the Harbour ladder with 11 wins, a draw and a loss from 13 matches.
Rosmini was third, winning 10 matches, but crucially lost two matches to Westlake, last Saturday at home and 34-20 in June, along with one of their games against Whangarei Boys High School.
The season has been one of the closest ever, with second-placed Whangarei Boys and fourth-placed Rangitoto College having an epic battle last weekend before Whangarei won 19-18.
Whangarei ended the season with 10 wins, one draw and two losses.
Rangitoto, meanwhile, had eight wins – including a prized Westlake scalp on 12 June – and five losses.
On Saturday, Rosmini was up 11-5 at halftime, but as in the previous match between the schools, Westlake showed a clean pair of heels in the second half.
Coach Robin Mildenhall said they played “some exceptional rugby”.
He singled out two try-scoring Year 11 players – winger Yisrael Tukania, who touched down twice, and centre Matt Fleming – for special mention.
The addition of former All Black and Westlake old boy Luke McAlister as backs coach this year had proved a major coup, Mildenhall said.
“He is a tangible hero for the boys, and a great mentor.”
Mildenhall hoped for a big crowd at Westlake for their semi-final against Rangitoto. “It will be a great semi-final against quality opposition.”
Rosmini travels to Whangarei Boys for its semifinal on Saturday.
• The North Harbour secondary schools final will be played at North Harbour Stadium on 16 August at noon.
Traffic snarls loom during water-main work
Vital replacement of 4.5km of water main to Devonport will cause major disruption in Takapuna, requiring digging up sections of Burns Ave and Esmonde Rd.
Watercare, which plans to start the work in early 2027, says roads along the planned route south from Takapuna will be reduced to one lane during the installation.
“We’re strongly conscious of how disruptive this will be,” said Watercare relationship manager Ben Halliwell.
The work to replace the Devonport No. 2 water main will be staged over 18 months. The existing 300mm pipe built in 1960, is in poor condition. Pipe of 450mm will be laid, designed to last a century.
At a workshop briefing last month, Devonport-Takapuna Local Board members were quick to warn Watercare of likely community outcry. “Your stop-go people may need to be there 24/7,” said board member George Wood, predicting that frustrated local drivers halted by traffic lights on one-lane stretches on Lake Rd and surrounding streets might ignore unmanned signals at quieter times.
Watercare would do what it could to minimise impacts, said its head of wastewater planning, Andrew Deutschle. Work would mostly likely be Monday to Friday, possibly into Saturdays, he said. “But we know traffic flow is worst at weekends.”
Works would continue at night on
high-traffic Esmonde Rd and Lake Rd to speed progress. Work near schools would be scheduled during holidays where possible.
Deputy chair Terence Harpur questioned the intended route of the water main, saying: “The disruption is not going to fly in our community.”
The line begins in Takapuna, where it connects into the principal North Shore water main, and travels south from Killarney St, beneath Burns Ave and across Esmonde Rd to Hauraki. It then follows Eldon St and Harley Rd before a block on Lake Rd. It takes Hart Rd, turning down side streets to cross Jutland Rd and head down narrow and often congested Northboro Rd. From there it takes back routes before going up Bardia St to rejoin Lake Rd south to Devonport.
Harpur thought the pipe would be better routed from Esmonde Rd to Francis St, where works would be less disruptive. The crossing point could double as a bridging option between Takapuna and the peninsula, he suggested, combining a pipeline with a pedestrian and cycle bridge above.
Member Gavin Busch also liked the idea of using the quieter Francis St route “instead of running it right round”. He suggested Watercare could look at taking the main through O’Neill’s Point Cemetery to Bayswater.
Deutschle said a number of scenarios were considered before the route was presented.
New hospo helps lift Takapuna spending
Spending for the first half of the year in Takapuna was up slightly, bucking trends across many other Auckland centres.
Hospitality was the big driver for the overall 3 per cent rise in town centre activity for the months January to June, when compared with the same period last year.
Bars, cafes and restaurants recorded a rise of 10.1 per cent in June alone, latest Marketview data shows. This was partly due to recent additions making their mark on the area, including Takapuna Surf Club, Rosie’s Red-Hot Cantina, Benny’s Burgers and Cousin Scott’s, said Takapuna Beach
YOUR LOCAL
Business Association chief executive Terence Harpur.
In a time of economic uncertainty and with hospitality closures elsewhere, Harpur said Takapuna had turned challenges into trading opportunities. Added town centre vibrancy and increased investment in events and promotion had helped.
Spending across department stores and leisure rose 5.8 per cent over the six months. Additions included activewear brand LSKD’s first New Zealand store.
Across all categories, average transaction value increased 2.6 per cent to $49.66.
North Shore FUNERALS
NELSON & SUSAN ELLIOTT
But staff would report back on members’ suggestions. A Francis St-Esmonde Rd link might face coastal consenting issues, he said.
Watercare was also constrained by the need to connect the water main into other services, especially along main road corridors.
Work would mostly be open-cut and cover, rather than drilling, due to the rigid nature of the water main, he said. Workers required access to enough width to work in – up to 7m – hence the need to use a lane of road.
“It’s not a pipe we can put under private property – we need to be able to get access to it and it has to tie in with existing infrastructure.”
Watercare first signalled the need to replace the main late last year. It will begin site investigations and preliminary design this year, and update the board in January 2026.
Member Peter Allen urged Watercare to return with a breakdown on when and for how long each stage section would take.
“I’d really like to see an alternative [route] and the costings around it,” said Busch.
The project has not yet been costed, but Wood tried to tie down a likely total by asking if it would be $100 million or $200m. Halliwell said “not quite” to the latter number.
Project consents will be lodged in April next year. Construction is set to start in January 2027 and finish in July 2028.
Boarding easier after Milford marina upgrades
More women and families are out boating from Milford Marina since new floating pontoons were installed, its operators say.
The marina is three-quarters of the way through installing the pontoons in a multimillion-dollar improvements project.
Old static wooden pontoons and piles have been replaced with floating and steel pontoons sheathed with plastic that should last for generations.
Project manager Glenn Cupit said the new pontoons allowed people to walk straight onto their boats rather than having to use a ladder, which could be “precarious”.
“We’ve seen a lot of women and mums turning up for boating... it’s much better for families and kids as well.”
Health and safety was much improved by the work: lockable gates at the entry to each pontoon had been installed and they were finished with a non-slip surface.
The work started early last year. Pontoons A to D were finished, with work proceeding on F and G. It would finish by next year.
Alongside the work at Milford Marina, Auckland Council is making repairs to a public walkway damaged in the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.
We need you!
New Zealand’s media continues to undergo massive change with job losses in all sectors.
The common reasons for the media cutbacks and closures are declining advertising revenues and rising costs. Newspapers across the country have faced print bill increases of 56 per cent over the last five years.* (Our print bill has gone up $6000 per month during this time.)
At the same time, New Zealand companies are spending millions of dollars on Google and Facebook advertising. This money goes offshore, with massive impacts on New Zealand journalism and jobs. Journalist numbers in New Zealand have dropped from 4000 to 1700 in the past 20 years.*
At Devonport Publishing, we employ nine people (full-time and part-time) across our two newspapers — The Devonport Flagstaff and the Rangitoto Observer. All live locally.
Most media are now relying on donations or subscriptions in some form to survive.
I hope you are prepared to pay something towards the production of our newspapers.
Click ‘Become a supporter’ at the top of our website home page: rangitoto-observer.co.nz Every little bit helps. Please sign up for our email alerts for when the paper goes online and to get our weekly newsletter.
Finally, a massive thanks to our advertisers who continue to support us, and to those readers who have already made donations.
Rob Drent Managing Editor
The Rangitoto Observer
*Source: Koi Tū: University of Auckland Centre for Informed Futures. A position paper on New Zealand’s news media. Author: Gavin Ellis. Released May 2024.
HOW TO HELP US:
Go to rangitoto-observer.co.nz and click to ‘Become a supporter’ at the top of the page
Go to rangitoto-observer.co.nz and click on ‘Become a supporter’ at the top of the page.
Music lovers invited to take a trip on the Silk Road with
The North Shore Concert Band will take its audience on a musical adventure in its annual performance at the PumpHouse in Takapuna next week.
A Journey Along the Silk Road will have the band’s musicians work through compositions and musical influences from across half the globe, in a varied programme that nods to the historic trade routes that linked east and west.
Band secretary Fran Hutchinson said Silk Road explored beyond European concert traditions to include music from regions along the route, which connected the Far East through to the eastern Mediterranean.
It would still feature music people would recognise, including from the Russians, with Rimsky-Korsakoff’s Scheherezade suite on the programme as well as folk dances from Shostakovich. But Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Indian sounds will also be included. Debussy sneaks in, not geographically, but in recognition of a piece he wrote based on Chinese musical structures.
Fun inclusions are a Bollywood-style piece complete with dancers and music from Disney’s Aladdin film. Movie fans might also be captured by the inclusion of music composed by Joe Hisaishi and used in the film My Neighbour Totoro made by Japan’s renowned Studio Ghibli animation studio.
Milford / Takapuna Tides
Double duty... Conductor Natalie Paine with the North Shore Concert Band. She is also a professional French horn player in the Navy Band.
community band
Hutchinson said the band, which comprises around 30 experienced community musicians from across the North Shore and beyond, had enjoyed working on what was its biggest show of the year, suitable for all ages. It also plays at community events and retirement homes.
The band will once again be under the baton of Natalie Paine, who plays French horn in the Royal New Zealand Navy Band. The Bayswater resident has served as conductor for the concert band for several years. Soloist Courtney Braunert will feature on alto saxophone.
Hutchinson, who is herself a baritone saxophonist, said the band had an association with the PumpHouse stretching back through the venue’s 48-year history. It holds practices weekly in Birkenhead and performs at retirement villages and community events. She says a concert band is like an orchestra without strings, being made up of brass, woodwind and percussion instruments.
Members enjoyed playing together to keep their skills up and to socialise.
“It’s such a buzz playing in a band when it all comes together. There’s nothing like live music.”
• North Shore Concert Band, at the PumpHouse, Sunday 17 August, 2pm. Adult tickets $25, book online at the PumpHouse.
Notice of Annual General Meeting
of the
North Shore Theatre & Arts Trust (The PumpHouse Theatre) Inc.
The AGM will be held at 6.30pm, Wednesday 20 August 2025 At The PumpHouse Theatre, Killarney Park, Takapuna.
Guest Speaker: Sir Roger Hall, co-Patron of The PumpHouse Theatre. Notice of Motion: Proposed changes to Constitution and Rules. In addition to the normal business of the AGM nominations are invited for Board Members.
All enquiries to Peter Burn Chairperson 021 265 9697 before Mon 11 August 2025.
Phone 09 486 2386
www.takapunamovies.co.nz Facebook and Instagram @takapunabeachsidecinema 09 666 0714
SHOWING NOW
Freakier Friday (PG) 111min
The Friend (M) 120min Weapons (R16) 129min
Riviera Revenge (M) 94min
The Life of Chuck (M) 110min
Fantastic Four: First Steps (PG) 114min
Four Letters of Love (M) 109min
The Count of Monte Cristo (M) 178min
The House Within (E) 71min
Universal Language (G) 89min
Family Therapy (M) 91min
SPECIAL EVENTS & NEW RELEASES
Nobody 2 90min 14 Aug
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (M) 99min 14 Aug For more info on films & events go to thevic.co.nz
TAKAPUNA | 12A ERIC PRICE AVENUE
Lakeside Luxury Living
Located on sought-after Eric Price Avenue, this brand-new home combines modern luxury with stunning lake views. It features open-plan living, a gourmet Italian kitchen, four spacious bedrooms with ensuites, underfloor heating, solar panels, and smart ventilation. With a double garage, sunny outdoor deck, and low-maintenance design, it’s ideal for stylish, effortless living in a premium location.
premium.co.nz/80750
VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT PRICE | BY NEGOTIATION
ROBERT MILNE 022 011 24 94
RICHARD MILNE 021 770 611 OFFICE 09 916 6000
TAKAPUNA | 13C DOMINION STREET
Luxury Lock’n’Leave Living
Brand new and freestanding, this luxurious 4-bedroom home in central Takapuna is the last remaining in an exclusive enclave of four. With high-end finishes, a state-of-the-art kitchen, internal lift, and double garage, it offers modern ease and elegance. Zoned for top schools and just minutes from everything, this is premium living at its finest – spacious, stylish, secure, and superbly located.
premium.co.nz/80754
VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT PRICE | BY NEGOTI ATION
HARRY RICHARDS 021 0814 4 51 3
LUCY HAMILTON 021 057 8099 OFFICE 09 916 6000
TAKAPUNA | 10/2 CAMPBELL ROAD
Serene Oasis | Centro
Experience style, space, and privacy in this fully renovated Centro gem – just moments from the beach, cafes, and shops. With a sleek kitchen, light-filled living areas, and a private north-facing courtyard, it’s perfect for entertaining or unwinding. Featuring three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study, and double garage, this pet-friendly home is your ideal urban retreat.
premium.co.nz/80615
VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT EXPRESSIONS OF INTERE ST | 27 AUG 2025 AT 4PM UNLESS SOLD PRIOR
ALISON PARKER 021 983 533
HARRY RICHARDS 021 0814 4513 OFFICE 09 916
HARRY RICHARDS 021 0814 4513 OFFICE 09 916 6000
MATAKANA | 241 SHARP ROAD
Live a Life of Luxury
Set on a one-hectare estate with panoramic views of Sandspit Harbour, this elegant masonry home offers luxury, space, and privacy. Designed for large families, it features expansive living areas, high-end finishes, a swimming pool, and a self-contained barn. Perfect for entertaining or retreating in style, it’s a rare opportunity in a peaceful, picturesque setting.
premium.co.nz/90192
VIEW | PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT PRICE | $4,895,000
LINDA SMITH 021 470 175 ROB MATULICH 021 634 059 OFFICE 09 422 9280
