21 August 2015 Devonport Flagstaff

August 21, 2015

Wrangle over building heights… p4

Tourism roadmap for Devonport… p5

Interview: broadcaster Pippa Wetzell… p18

Blackout drapes cost ratepayers $2,500 Blackout drapes were rented for $2,500 to use at an invitation-only council shindig to celebrate the end of major works at Devonport Wharf and Marine Square.

The total cost of the event, held on 24 July, was $18,996.

The bulk of the money was spent on enter-

tainment and decorations. The band was paid $3,860 and sound and lighting cost $2,990.

The drapes used to close off the newly renovated end of Devonport Wharf were rented for $2,500.

With a beverage cost of $1,063 for the 80 guests that attended, drinks were the night’s

one relatively cheap thrill. But catering costs amounted to nearly $3,015, or $38 per person.

Other costs included: $450 on hiring plants, $419 on hiring a bar leaner, $1,288 on hiring the bar, couches and coffee tables, $945 on hiring heaters and bar stools, and $656 on To page 2

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 2

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Artweek to shine a light on Devonport Six huge light installations will be scattered around the centre of Devonport as part of Artweek Auckland, which will take place October 10-18.

Devonport has emerged as a major player in the festival, with an opening Devonport Art Day on October 10.

More than a dozen Devonport businesses, galleries and community organisations have committed to be part of the programme.

Devonport BID manager Judy Grieve, who has been working to facilitate the event in Devonport, said it would be a celebration of Devonport art and artists.

The gala day would feature the participating businessses, The Depot and the Devonport Community House, street art and street performers. Dressed-up Devonport art ambassadors will give guided tours on Segways.

The half a dozen light installations made by Unitec students will come in various shapes and sizes, but will be as large as three metres From page 1

high by 10 metres long.

The lighting artworks are being placed in Devonport and Silo Park over in the city, and Grieve hopes there is potential for the installations to “talk to each other across the harbour.”

The Artweek Auckland event has substantial support from Auckland’s inner city suburbs such as Ponsonby.

“We want to align Devonport as more of an inner-city area – to position it as part of the wider Auckland event scene, Grieve said.

Devonport will be spotlighted through Artweek Auckland’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and over two pages in the festival programme, which has a print run of 100,000.

“It is very much a community event - we are encouraging local artists to showcase their work,” Grieve said.

Artists, or anyone in the community who wants to become involved, can contact Judy Grieve at manager@devonport.co.nz

Blackout drapes hired

glasses and fridge hire.

The security guard and door staff cost $200.

Other labour and transport came at $1,600.

The event ran from 6:30pm until 9pm.

Although security guards were turning the general public away at the door, Auckland Council could not provide the Flagstaff with an invitation list for the celebrations.

Chief of Strategy Jim Quinn said: “A specific list of those who attended the event on the night does not exist, however a number of elected representatives, including the Mayor and members of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, were there, along with members of council staff and Auckland Transport, representatives from contractors who worked on the projects and representatives from community groups and iwi.”

The Flagstaff asked the Devonport-based local-body politicians if they had attended the event and if they thought it was a good use of

ratepayers’ money.

Devonport-Takpapuna Local Board member Grant Gillon said: “Yes I did and I was the first to leave as I was astounded at the Call me today extravagance.

“There was unnecessary security at the Caroline Devereux door, it was blocked off from public view (as 09 446 2107 well as blocking them from entering).

021 573 305 Licensed Agent, REAA 2008 “I stayed for the speeches, which were really just aimed at internal staff and politicians.

I would have liked to have seen a more open public event,” he said.

Auckland Councillor Chris Darby said: “Expenditure of almost $19,000 does not meet with my expectations of Auckland Transport NEW ZEALAND COMMUNITY or any part of council.

NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION AWARDS “The expense astounds me, is very disapBest Community Involvement: pointing to say the least and does not hold 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2005 Most Improved Newspaper: 2011, 2010 up to scrutiny, especially when broken down Best Young Journalist: 2014, 2012, 2013 to particular items such as $3,860 for the Best Journalist: 2012, 2009 musicians (the Takapuna Grammar School Best Junior Sports Journalist: 2014, 2013 jazz band would have done this for mere Best Senior Feature/Lifestyle Writer: 2014 Best Junior Feature/Lifestyle Writer: 2014 experience and a $100 donation) and $,2500 Best Headline Writing: 2012, 2013 for black drapes – entering the event through Canon Media Awards Community Reporter security and black curtains was a long way of the Year: Highly Commended 2015 Licensed REAA 2008 off the barbecue I was expecting.

Devonport Publishing Ltd a U C T i On “I don’t think most people would bemoan PO Box 32 275 First Floor, 9 Wynyard Street, Devonport aUCTiOn a barbecue and a few beers for all involved Telephone: 09 445 0060 to sign off the projects, but $19k is over the Email: devonportflagstaff@orcon.net.nz top entirely.

Website: www.devonportflagstaff.co.nz “Whether at the end of a multimillion -dolEDITOR: Rob Drent lar investment or not, Council owes a duty of ADVERTISING: Rob Drent REPORTER: Maire Vieth responsibility to Aucklanders for how it uses DESIGN: Brendon De Suza the public purse, and in this case we’ve been OFFICE MANAGER: Janet Klee PRINTER: Beacon Print let down big time,” Darby said.

Information in the Devonport Flagstaff is copyright and Devonport-Takapuna Local Board memcannot be published or broadcast without the permission Rowan Renouf AREINZ of Devonport Publishing Ltd. bers Mike Cohen and Dianne Hale did not 09 445 3414 or 021 736 683 VIEW FROM THE PROPERTY respond prior to the Flagstaff publishing NEXT ISSUE: September 4 deadline.

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 3

August 21, 2015

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 4

August 21, 2015

Fallout from old business association lingers

The Devonport Business Improvement District is making great strides with a new manager, lots of events planned over the next few months, $25 million spent on downtown infrastructure and a new website in the wind to encourage tourists and residents alike to visit local firms.

However, a very public wrangle has erupted over a Devonport Business Association submission to council to increase building heights to 12 metres.

Rob Drent reports.

Accusations of behind-closed doors meetings, lack of an appropriate separation from landlords’ development plans and a push for taller buildings which could destroy the look of Devonport are all being levelled at the Devonport Business Association (DBA).

Strangely, the antagonism is not coming only from the DBA’s more traditional foe, Devonport Heritage, but from some of its own members, who say they knew nothing about DBA submissions to allow the height of buildings in the business area to increase to 12 metres.

The first many business owners knew about the DBA submissions was when they read about it in the Flagstaff on June 26. The Flagstaff found out about the submission when it was uploaded onto the council’s Proposed Unitary Plan website. The submissions had been lodged more than a year before, on February 28, 2014.

The backlash built slowly but the DBA is now being forced to justify its position publicly.

One member ,Fiona Startup of Bookmark (a second-hand bookshop) launched a petition seeking signatures from businesses opposed to the 12-metre building height.

Then the DBA was challenged by members at its AGM on August 3. Despite assurances from DBA president John Waugh that there had been consultation over the submissions, three members – Fiona Startup, Sue Johnston (from Kevin Johnston boat builders) and Mark Gustaffson,

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Controversial…building-heights proposal a building owner and director of Devonport Lingerie – said they knew nothing about it.

The non-consultation of Gustaffson is significant as the move to up the building heights for development is clearly of benefit to building owners and landlords. Yet his opinion was not sought.

Letters and emails are now flowing into the Flagstaff from both DBA members and the public, shocked at the DBA’s position on the issue. The fight has centred on submissions to the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) on the protections offered to the views of volcanic cones.

Both planner Cherie Lane and architect and Ken Davis (a DBA board member) submitted evidence on behalf of the association that building heights should be able to increase and would not affect the view shafts.

Interestingly, Lane submitted her DBA evidence on the same day (February 28) as she posted evidence for one of Devonport’s major landlords (Wallace Flats Ltd). Wallace Flats is owned by companies associated with long-standing Devonport family the Poors. In her Wallace Flats evidence Lane says the PAUP planning controls “will have the effect of potentially paralysing the local business economy.

This is neither wise use of existing resources nor in keeping with the City’s desire for future economic growth and intensification.”

Development proposals to turn Wallace Flats properties at 12 and 14 Clarence St into a residential retail mix would be made unworkable with some of the Unitary Plan controls suggested, the evidence said.

Things become a little bit murky further into the process. Documents on the Auckland Council website indicate a close link between Wallace Flats’ submission and the DBA submission.

One document posted says: “Summary notes for Hearing Presentation Devonport Business Association and Wallace Flats Ltd.” It appears Lane had a behind-closed-doors mediation meeting with council officers on May 5. From documents on the council website, officers initially supported the thrust of the DBA’s arguments.

However council officers later appear to have had a change of heart.

Council officer Stephen Brown says in one document: “I simply cannot agree with Ms Lane at this point in time.

“It is my view that the council must adopt a precautionary approach in relation to any changes to the height-control regime within Devonport until it is satisfied that such changes will not result in significant and adverse impacts on public perceptions of Mt Victoria from within and around the town centre, and on the very special relationship that Devonport enjoys with that iconic maunga,” says the document dated June 29.

Lane then seems to mollify her position somewhat and seeks relief from the council with a commitment “to work collaboratively with The DBA/WFL to confirm removal of the height control on those sites identified as not having an effect on the visual integrity of Mt Victoria.

She also states that council should allow “building height greater than eight metres, but not more than 12.5 metres as a restricted discretionary activity in the Devonport town centre zone with various assessment criteria.”

In the longer term she wants council to work on a precinct plan specific to the Devonport Town Centre (by way of future plan change).

In another submission by the DBA to PAUP (dated July 22), on proposed changes to the Wynyard St zone, the association seems to have seems to have softened its approach on certain points. It is happy to defer to the mediator a decision “based on varied responses and divergent opinion raised in cross-submissions.”

It must be remembered that the DBA when the submissions were collated and submitted is a very different beast to what it is now. For decades it was a volunteer organisation with a committee and president. It struggled to entice members and was strapped for cash. It was the type of organisation where enthusiastic board members would be given a lot of leeway if they had the energy to get things done.

To page 5

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 5

August 21, 2015

Tourism strategy “road map” for future Devonport’s slightly frumpy image as a destination was captured in workshops held as part of a tourism growth and brand strategy.

Asked to describe Devonport as a person comments included: “Elegant but tired and needing medication; Middle-aged, well dressed, charming and female; Friendly and laid back; Older, relaxed but quite social; Comfortably middle-aged and conservative.

“An eccentric old man with leather elbow pads, comfortable, smiling with a little old dog,” was how one person described the town.

While Devonport offers a great setting, surrounding by the sea and featuring mountains and historic buildings, what it offers visitors needs a shot in the arm, The Devonport Brand Project and Tourism Growth Strategy report says.

Vibrant new events and festivals such as famers’ markets during the evening, book fairs, culinary experiences and heritage festivals were needed to attract visitors.

More worked should be done in conjuntion with the Navy and Navy museum on events linked to the Naval base and its history. Similarly for Maori with history of the volcanic cones.

Devonport also needed to link up with major Auckland CBD events in partnership with ATEED, the report says.

Other ideas included: • An annual street party, “possibly the Devonport Long Lunch” (closing off VictoThis changed completely last year when Devonport became one of Auckland’s Business Improvement Districts.

Membership is now compulsory for Devonport businesses and landlords (a special rate is collected by council). It has a BID manager (Judy Grieve started last November) and is run by a board of 11. It has a budget of $120,000.

Grieve herself has been placed in a awkward situation by the submissions posted by the previous DBA. A former regional coordintator for Heritage New Zealand she was forced to fend of probing questions by members at the AGM. She is now referring all comment on the height submission to DBA president John Waugh.

The Flagstaff sent Waugh a list of questions which sought full background on how the submission came about, the brief of planner Cherie Lane’s appointment, how much she was being paid by DBA and what precisely the DBA’s position on the building heights was now.

Waugh said the board would be providing a full discussion on the issue at its next meeting on September 7, where a timeline of the process would be set out “so that the wider community can understand the history of the submission.”

Ken Davis would also be at the board meeting to answer the Flagstaff’s “not inconsiderable questions”, Waugh said.

ria Rd, or part of, and providing seating for 120-200 people to dine collectively from late morning till late afternoon) with the active involvement of local cafes, restaurants and retailers; • The development of Devonport-specific merchandise that reflected North Head, Mt Victoria and other landmarks; • Introduction of twilight smaller scale musical events (Jazz in the Park, etc.); • Create an oral archive, which covers the history of Devonport and the unique characters who have made it special over the years; • Bring alive the stories and experiences of Devonport online and through expanded walking tours with interpretive signage boards for self-guided walks; • Introduction of a creative technology hub for animation and graphic design etc, possibly at the rear of the old Council Chamber; • Strengthen Devonport’s position as a literary hub in Auckland, including the Writers Festival and supplementary activities; • Develop an arts trail that identifies places of interest and significance and links artist studios and spaces for creative activities; • Investigate potential to expand the Esplanade into a 60-room boutique hotel if council-owned land at the rear of the property can be utilised for this purpose; • Work with existing tourism activity operators to introduce paddle boarding in different locations around the Devonport peninsula .

To page 6

Upbeat about Devonport’s future…BID manager Judy Grieve Devonport has a very strong brand but the report identified the town had “got a bit tired”, says Devonport BID manager Judy Grieve. The report “gives us a road map we will interpret; it is up to us how we use it.”

But many of the report’s recommendations were already in train, such as: a move to a new website and use of Facebook and social media; linking in with ATTEED for regional opportunites, and the organisation and support of fresh events. The BID board will be aiming to set a long-term strategy so Devonport has a clear vision on where it is heading towards becoming a “vibrant town, which is relevant to tourists and locals,” Grieve said.

Devonport Heritage questions DBA stance Devonport Heritage says it continues to be “shocked at the lengths the DBA is going to in order to change the existing protection of the views to Mt Victoria from the village.”

“These protections have been in place for all Auckland’s volcanic cones for 40 years, yet the DBA wants them cast aside for Mt Victoria without consulting with local businesses or residents.”

The DBA has had private meetings with council staff, which they call ‘facilitation’ meetings, Heritage says.

Yet the council does not offer other community groups the chance to respond, it says.

“We also question whether the DBA has

Editorial

the support of all Devonport businesses. Some business owners have approached us and said they knew nothing about the submission made on their behalf and do not support it.

“They appear to think there should be one rule for residents and their properties and another for business interests. Has the DBA surveyed Devonport residents and asked them what they think? Who in fact is the DBA really representing? Is it only large landowners who want to increase the value of their commercial premises?

“The DBA must be spending a large amount of money on this prolonged challenge and we would ask how this is being funded?” said Devonport Heritage.

Submission should be retracted

The Devonport Business Association should pull its submission on building heights.

If it did consult on building heights, it did not do so widely enough and the submission does not reflect the general view of its members.

It gives the impression that Devonport businesses are behind larger-scale devel-

opment of its buildings, which from talking to grass-roots businesses and retailers is far from the case.

In the future, the DBA needs to review how members are kept in the loop when major submissions are being made. Once the submissions have been completed, they should be made public.

Rob Drent, Editor

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 6 From page 5

August 21, 2015

Significant gaps in DBA business audit

Around 20 businesses that have closed or no longer exist have been included in an audit of Devonport firms in a $15,000 Devonport Business Association (DBA) tourism and brand survey report.

According to the audit, long-closed businesses Village Green Health, Jeremiah BF Ltd, Urban Turbans, Abigails and Lode Jewellery

Design still have a retail presence.

Some of the businesses – On Bourbon Street, Minstrels (which were both at 52 Victoria Rd) and Villa Verde Cafe – have been closed for more than five years. On Bourbon St stopped trading closer to 10 years ago.

Other current business were left off the audit list altogether. The audit missed the 9 Wynyard

How to improve tourism

peak tourist periods; • Investigate the possible introduction of smaller apartment and studio spaces to be added to buildings within the BID, where this won’t increase overall building height but may offer slightly greater bulk (off the back and into laneways). This would support local businesses and give greater life to the town centre later into the evenings; • Identify marketing opportunities that are more likely to gain the support of key government agencies such as Auckland Council and ATEED as well as the Ministry of Defence (Navy) and the Department of Conservation (Mount Victoria and North Head).

Parking issues needed to be addressed in Devonport, the report said.

“We note currently 70% of ferry users live within 3km of the terminal, however, many drive to the wharf and park.”

A major tourist attraction could be the introduction of a dedicated cycleway on Lake Road linking Devonport to the Auckland CBD via the Harbour Bridge and back via the ferry service.

Other innovations could include: • Attractive low-maintenance street furniture; • Introducing 24/7 information touch screens in key locations at the ferry terminal, North Head, Mt Victoria and in the main street; • Identify dedicated space for coach and minibus parking particularly to cater for the

St building, which houses Devonport Physiotherapy, the Devonport Flagstaff and Zeosoft.

It appears a lot of the audit contained in the Devonport Brand Project and Tourism Growth Strategy was gleaned from out-of-date information on the internet.

Asked if the audit was really good enough in what is being touted as a top-flight document produced by consultants The Stafford Group, Devonport Business Improvement District (BID )manager Judy Grieve said the audit should have been checked and proofread more thoroughly, and errors omitted.

A major overhaul of the BID’s database and contact lists is now happening to improve communications and provide data for its website revamp, she said.

Holes in the Devonport market The tourism report indentified gaps in the product mix currently in Devonport that included: •A n ice-creamery (specifically in the BID area); •A stand-alone butcher; •A stand-alone fishmonger; • A delicatessen/higher end food emporium; •A pet supplies store and grooming services, along with other speciality outlets.

Infrastructure improvements needed

Devonport needs improved street cleaning and ground maintenance, according to the tourism report.

Other improvements could include: more direction sign boards and in a style that is in

keeping with Devonport; interpretative signage to bring alive various destination locations and stories and lead to self-guided walks; and the introduction of dedicated coach parking for cruise ship visitors..

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from page 1

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 7

Jerome embraces grass-roots football

Popular dad… Jerome Kaino high-fives members of his son Kobe’s rippa rugby team Players in one North Shore Rippa Rugby career early, being the youngest player in the an All Black. But I’d say the kids think of team couldn’t get a better start to their football team. “He is a promising player – it must be Jerome as Kobe’s dad before they think of him as an All Black player. But there’s definitely a the good genes!” careers.

“Jerome is just like all the dads on the sideline bit of excitement in our house when Jerome is One of the team dads is All Black Jerome on the telly.

Kaino, who is down at Vauxhall Rd following cheering the kids on,” Ryder says.

“Jerome, Kobe, Di and Milan are a down“ A few weeks into the season the kids started his son Kobe most Saturday mornings at North Shore Rugby Club’s rippa games. He is just to work out that Kobe’s Dad is an All Black, to-earth family and great to have on the team,” another dad doing what thousands of others and feel pretty chuffed they personally know he says. across the country do every weekend.

In between training camps, fighting it out with Australia for the Bledisloe Cup and signing copies of his brand-new book, Kaino cheers on Kobe’s team, Team McCaw, a bunch of three and four-year old boys and girls who are having their first go at rugby.

“It’s good to see the kids get out on a Saturday morning for a little run around and Kobe is loving it. A lot of the boys are his friends and he really enjoys playing ball with them,” Kaino says.

“It’s Kobe’s first season. He is about to turn four in September. He loves the training and he loves running with the ball,” says his All Black dad.

Does Kobe look more like a forward or a back? “Probably a forward – that’s if he decides to play rugby, or not. But he is getting pretty big for his age.

“For now he mostly plays with his trucks and in the sandpit and loves going up and down our steep driveway with his scooter,” Kaino says.

On the sidelines of the rugby field, Kaino is equally relaxed about his son’s game. “I just like being a bystander and watching. The team is going really well. It’s boys and girls and some of the girls are really good.

“Coaching Team McCaw is a tough job and Tom Ryder does it really well,” he says.

Ryder says Kobe has started his rippa rugby Team McCaw… taking their first steps in rugby

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 8

August 21, 2015

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The Flagstaff Notes

August 21, 2015

By Rob Drent

There was some talk in the workshops held in preparation for the Devonport Tourism and Brand Strategy that the suburb was losing some of its community feel. Overall I disagree. Devonport has a proud history as the first borough to go nuclear-free in New Zealand and the first to introduce recycling.

While some of the old characters have either died or moved away from the area, there is still plenty of spirit in the community. Over the last several years, huge crowds have turned out to public meetings on the Navy land and the sell-off of Bayswater Marina. And Devonport residents have been prominent in the move to stop Ports of Auckland expanding.

Reading the stories in this issue about Jerome Kaino, as an everyday father taking his son to rippa rugby, and television personality Pippa Wetzell feeling comfortable enough to go to New World in trackies, illustrates just as much about the community as its stands on major issues.

under each bowl. Auckland Transport says it will be investigating. But why weren't the toilets included in the upgrade in the first place? Pretend you are a tourist and have a look yourself – it’s not a great welcome to Devonport.

I can'’t see a new tenant going into the fresh rental space at the wharf entrance prior to Christmas. Even if a refit started tomorrow, it wouldn't be ready in time.

I do wonder at the terms of the lease for the space. Council has a history of giving sweeteners, such as rent holidays, to stimulate areas (it happened in the Wynyard Quarter). It would be hardly fair as the wharf operator would be in direct competition with main-street hospitality joints, all of whom are ratepayers who have battled through a tough winter.

The $19,000 bill for a two-and-a-half hour invitation-only shindig at the wharf also smacks of unfairness – not only to ratepayers, who footed the bill, but to the four businesses directly opposite. They endured more than a year living on a construction site, but were compensated only a paltry $5,000 between them for their trouble. Although invited to the event, it is understood Speaking of Jerome Kaino, wouldn't it be only one of them went. great, once his top-level career is over, if he came to North Shore and played a few A New Zealand Herald story last Satursunset seasons – just like former Super day on a council review of golf courses, Rugby player Willie Walker did. I'm sure featured a picture of Devonport’s Waitemata the powers that be at the club are working club and the speculation that some courses on a similar game plan. may be sold off for housing. It is, I believe, speculation. The Waitemata course is in fact Tourists will no doubt give the new not a dedicated golf links. It is parkland Devonport wharf upgrade the thumbs up donated to the residents of Devonport more until…they have to use the wharf toilets. than 100 years ago. The Waitemata Golf Yes the upgrade does finish prior to the Club has a lease to use the parkland, but toilet stop. The Flagstaff had cause to it is still a park. Residents can walk on the visit the toilets last week (checking what course at any time and many do, taking their turned out to be a minor leak emanating dogs for a stroll in the morning or evening. from the sinks). The state of the urinals The chances of a sell-off of the park on was appalling. Urine had stained the lino which the Waitemata golf club currently to such a degree there were yellow circles sits, are precisely zero I would say.

24 Hour Towing 24 Hour Towing Devonport Owned Devonport Owned Operated andand Operated

ESTABLISHED ESTABLISHED 1971 1971

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 9

1 Fleet Street, Devonport 1 Fleet Street, Devonport Phone Phone 445 445 04830483 email: fleetst@ihug.co.nz email: fleetst@ihug.co.nz www.fleetstpanel.co.nz www.fleetstpanel.co.nz

Dennis Hale & Nathan Hale

Culture Shock?

What about CarCulture Shock?!

It’s a thing, you know. CCS is a real and genuine condition! Travel a bit, whether it’s within our town, country, or further afield, and you will find some very different attitudes to cars and car culture.

In the Far North, my friend observed a selection of barely-still-there dented up local dungers owned by locals, and remarked: ‘They just have a different attitude to their cars up here’, and it’s true.

Wander out to West Auckland and you will find the cars get bigger, noisier, with more swagger….. Big families in South Auckland often rock a stylish people mover with big chrome rims that our Devo families would cringe at. Parnell?

Mercedes. CCS exists close to home!

We were lucky enough to travel to Hawaii recently, and you are nobody there without a big (and I mean BIG!) ute with a lift-up suspension kit and wheels that could crush a mini. Utes that could fit a Toyota Hilux in the back as a spare, like Thunderbird 4.

Here in Devo I love our eclectic characters and their cars. The ancient Land Rovers outside the Patriot, the mid-life crisis Cobras, the hand-painted hippy cars, the Navy boys in their boy-racers…

It’s all good. Next time you pass us, give us a wave.

We’re watching out for you!

Jonno Jonno Leonard

OPEN 7 DAYS Ph 445 6236 154 Lake Rd, Belmont

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 10

Catching up with It’s been a smashing through tackles and sprinting the length of the field kind of year for Devonport speechwriter, writer, radio host, Twitterer and columnist David Slack, who calls himself “a mouth for hire.”

He has captured the intensity in Bullrush! A Celebration of the Great New Zealand Game.

It’s a small book about his own relationship with bullrush, as well as celebrity anecdotes and a brief history of the game’s rise and fall.

The prolific left-winger Slack says: “For once I wanted to write something that didn’t make half the country angry.”

He admits to some nostalgia and his eyes light up when he talks about his childhood and the role bullrush played in it. “I was entirely uncoordinated and shit at any ball game. But even if you are useless you can still have fun at bullrush. There is no team to be let down, just one huge clump moving from one side to the other.”

Was he ever the last man standing? “I’m not sure, but I do remember the excitement of being among the last two or three. The one thing I was good at was running,” he says.

The son of a sheepbreeder and a teacher, Slack grew up ten miles outside Feilding, where he remembers taking the bus to Feilding Agricultural High School at the same time as Scott Guy’s mother Joanne.

Speech-making and debating in school eventually led him to become Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer’s speechwriter in 1989, via law school and brief careers in advertising and brewery management. Add in a heart attack at the age of 29, and it’s been something of a rollercoaster ride.

Slack took up swimming after that, but these days he is back to running, often around Devonport.

He recently tackled acting in a documentary series by comedian Te Radar. In one episode Slack plays a member of the Nelson area Bur-

August 21, 2015

Mouth for hire David Slack

Enjoying a sweet moment at home… David Slack with cat Sugar gess Gang, four men convicted of killing five others in the Maungatapu murders of 1866.

The second role is closer to home. “I play Arthur Beauchamp, Katherine Mansfield’s grandfather, who has the distinction of giving the longest-ever speech, a filibuster in Blenheim where he went on for six or eight hours,” he says.

Just before Bullrush came out, Slack took a breather and spent two weeks in Paris practising his rusty French. “And it was summer.

There is the park where Louis XVI spent his last month and now you lie in the sun there and

eat a baguette,” he says.

Slack has firm plans for the rest of 2015.

There are only a few more weeks to go of substitute-hosting The Overnighter on Radio Live from midnight until 5am.

“After that I am resolved to figure out how to make my speechwriting website flourish again. Nothing else will happen until I have got that done,” he says.

• David Slack is in conversation along with Tracey Barnett at the Michael King Writers Centre, Summit Rd, Mt Victoria, this Sunday (August 23) at 4 pm.

Takapuna 128 Hurstmere Rd Takapuna 09 486 4747 www.takapuna.harcourts.co.nz

Devonport

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20 Allenby Avenue

Central Devonport Character Villa This is a beautiful villa with much street appeal & has been occupied by the same happy owners for the last 17 years. Offering a flat private fenced north facing backyard & entertainment area which all flow from the large eat in kitchen. A perfect set up for watching the children from your kitchen or when entertaining. This traditional home has a central hallway with 3 double bedrooms including the master bedroom with a spacious ensuite. Two living areas, fireplaces, large eat-in kitchen plus a study, provide an ideal family set up.

Auction View Open

On Site, Sunday 23rd August at 2.00pm (unless sold prior) www.harcourts.co.nz/TK26429 Saturday & Sunday 1.00 - 2.00pm

Les Fejos M 021 467228 E lesfejos@gmail.com Cooper & Co Real Estate Ltd Licensed Agent REAA 2008 Contributor to realestate.co.nz

www.harcourts.co.nz

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 11

August 21, 2015

NEW LISTING

Devonport 15 Kerr Street Stunning Harbour View Home And Income Wow! What a view! Sitting high above Devonport Village this beautifully presented Bungalow is a great opportunity to live in a gorgeous home plus have a very good income, or perhaps ideally suited for extended family situations. Such a handy location, pop down to the village for coffee or dinner, catch the ferry to town or Waiheke, what a perfect lock and leave! With 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and open plan living you can enjoy views from most rooms. The garden apartment is spacious and private, open plan with a lovely bathroom.

For the handyman there is a generous workshop. At the bottom of the leafy garden there is a walkway to Rattray Street which leads in to the top of the village shops.

4 Auction View Open

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On site, Sunday 13th September 2015 at 6.00pm (unless sold prior) www.harcourts.co.nz/DP7997 Saturday & Sunday 1.15 - 2.00pm Peter Ayton P 446 2109 M 021 336 300 Phil Clark P 446 2125 M 021 940041 Cooper & Co Real Estate Ltd Licensed Agent REAA 2008

OPEN HOME

Devonport 131 Vauxhall Road Fantastic Narrow Neck Family Home Set on a fantastic 696m2 West Facing site, this large family home is just perfect for those wanting 5 bedrooms, 2 living areas, 2 bathrooms, good garaging and a great back yard complete with pool! This is a rare find in this highly sought after, yet tightly held location. You are spoilt for choice when it comes to leisure, walk left to Narrow Neck Beach and go sailing, paddle boarding, fishing, golfing, squash or to the gym. Or perhaps go right for a morning dip at Cheltenham, followed by a croissant and coffee at one of the local cafes, the difficult part will be choosing! But one thing is for sure, you will love this location and enjoy living in a spacious, warm, welcoming home that will suit all families.

5 Auction View Open

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On site, Sunday 30th August 2015 at 1.00pm (unless sold prior) www.harcourts.co.nz/DP7953 Saturday & Sunday 12.00 - 12.45pm Phil Clark P 09 446 2125 M 021 940 041 Peter Ayton P 09 446 2109 M 021 336 300 Cooper & Co Real Estate Ltd Licensed Agent REAA 2008

Contributor to realestate.co.nz

www.harcourts.co.nz

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 12

OPEN HOME

August 21, 2015

NEW LISTING

Devonport 17 Rattray Street

Hauraki 1/36 Walter Street

Captivating Classical Central Devonport

Hauraki Home, Income And Views!

Immerse yourself in this incredibly central 1885 Double Bay Kauri Villa standing proudly in 2015 as an enviable family home with 5 double bedrooms - 3 downstairs each with their own private ensuite (previously run for 17 years until mid-2014 as the highly respected "Rainbow Villa B& B").

With Hauraki Primary at the end of your street this home is an all round winner. Lovely sunny home with plenty of space for a growing family to spread out while the one bedroom income is quite private from the main house with its own outdoor area. Stunning ever changing views across the bay to the city are a total delight. Sought after location, rare opportunity.

For Sale View Open

$2,450,000 www.harcourts.co.nz/DP7865 Sunday Only 12.00 - 1.00pm

Peter Restall P 09 446 2114 M 021 808 808 E peter.restall@harcourts.co.nz Devonport

AUCTION SUNDAY

Auction View Open

On site, Sunday 6th September 2015 at 5.00pm (unless sold prior) www.harcourts.co.nz/DP7989 Saturday & Sunday 1.00 - 1.45pm

Maria Stevens P 09 446 2111 M 021 979 084 E maria.stevens@harcourts.co.nz Devonport

OPEN HOME

Bayswater 106 Beresford Street

Belmont 2/10 Bellcroft Place

Serene Seclusion On A Reserve - Solidly Built In Block

So Much More Than A Standard Unit

Our current vendor has lived next to this beautifully serene and quiet reserve for 14 years. She has absolutely loved and enjoyed the wonderfully green outlook and great expanse of lawn adjoining her property. The home was built in the 1950s in concrete blocks and has a wonderful floor plan for those who love to entertain. The open plan kitchen, dining and living benefits from excellent indoor/outdoor flow.

Nestled privately in a leafy garden this property will certainly be a surprise for you. Being one of only two units on the section is certainly a bonus.

Spacious separate lounge, open plan kitchen dining and sunroom, attached single garage and separate carport makes this feel more like a house than a unit! If you are looking for much more than an average unit with a great quiet location then put this unique home onto your viewing list.

Auction View Open

On site, Sunday 23rd August 2015 at 1.00pm (unless sold prior) www.harcourts.co.nz/DP7967 Saturday & Sunday 12.30 - 1.00pm

Jackie Mark P 09 446 2113 M 021 458 797 E jackie.mark@harcourts.co.nz Devonport

Contributor to realestate.co.nz

Auction View Open

On site, Sunday 30th August 2015 at 12.00pm (unless sold prior) www.harcourts.co.nz/DP7969 Saturday & Sunday 11.00 - 11.45am

Maria Stevens P 09 446 2111 M 021 979 084 E maria.stevens@harcourts.co.nz Devonport

www.harcourts.co.nz

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 13

August 21, 2015

NEW LISTING

NEW LISTING

Belmont 24 Egremont Street

Takapuna 2/32 Sanders Avenue

Beautiful Belmont Bungalow

Stylish Takapuna Beach Lifestyle

This is a home on an ideal sized section of 525m2 that will tick many boxes for many buyers. The property is decorated in neutral colours throughout and boasts three bedrooms and a spacious bathroom and kitchen. A great floor plan and all the living flows beautifully from one room to another. The rear living area enjoys excellent outdoor flow to a wonderfully wide north facing deck that overlooks the private garden.

Perfectly positioned just one back from Takapuna Beach, this stylish fullyrenovated home offers exceptional living and an enviable lifestyle. A gated pathway leading onto the sand ensures privacy, and the property is elevated with a sunny north facing aspect. Four bedrooms, three bathrooms and three living areas make for an easy lifestyle. Within a beach walk to the restaurants, cafes, theatre and shops of Takapuna.

Auction View Open

On site, Sun 6th September 2015 at 11.00am (will not be sold prior) www.harcourts.co.nz/DP7985 Saturday & Sunday 11.30-12.00pm

Jackie Mark P 09 446 2113 M 021 458 797 E jackie.mark@harcourts.co.nz Devonport

Auction View Open

On site, Sunday 13th September 2015 at 3.00pm (unless sold prior) www.harcourts.co.nz/DP7946 Saturday & Sunday 1.00 - 1.45pm

Glenice Taylor & Gary Potter P 09 446 2112 M 021 943 021 M 021 953 021 E glenice.taylor@harcourts.co.nz E gary.potter@harcourts.co.nz Devonport

OPEN HOME

NEW LISTING

Devonport 44b Old Lake Road

Devonport 3/179 Victoria Road

Perfectly Positioned - Peaceful & Private Home

Very Rare Find!

Perfectly positioned down its own private shared drive way this well presented single level three bedroom home will tick all your boxes. The lounge and dining area are north facing and are, therefore, naturally sunny warm and light. The lounge and three bedrooms are all carpeted and there is a heat pump and DVS system installed so that the temperature inside is always just right. Single garage, internal access. Must be sold.

Rarely does a unit of this caliber very close to Devonport village come to the market. This particular unit is extra special, peaceful and quiet, lovely and bright, easy access, garden outlook with a garage. Just a short walk to the village and the ferry with the local corner dairy and bus stop a flat walk away.

For Sale View Open

$874,000 www.harcourts.co.nz/DP7928 Saturday & Sunday 12.00 - 12.45pm

Peter Andrews P 09 446 2105 M 0274 931 826 E peter.andrews@harcourts.co.nz Devonport

Contributor to realestate.co.nz

Auction View Open

On site, Sunday13th September 2015 at 10.00am (unless sold prior) www.harcourts.co.nz/DP7995 Saturday & Sunday 12.00 - 12.45pm

Maria Stevens P 09 446 2111 M 021 979 084 E maria.stevens@harcourts.co.nz Devonport

www.harcourts.co.nz

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 14

Letters

August 21, 2015

Business owners reject height-increase submission turn Devonport into an area overshadowed by offices.

The heart of Devonport is retail and the quaintness of the buildings. There is no way adding height for office space will enhance what we have.

Noeline Craig, Managing Director - House of Toys Etcetera

I spoke to had had a visit. This smacks of arrogance by a minority on the DBA. The drawcard for tourists visiting is the uniqueness of Devonport, and so far it hasn’t lost its charm, as many of the other old suburbs have.

I am amazed the DBA, who should be preserving our heritage, are, by stealth, trying to

It is with great alarm I read in the last issue of the Flagstaff that the DBA has submitted a plan to increase the building heights in Devonport shopping centre.

I am even more alarmed to read Devonport business owners had been consulted. As a business owner, I did a check to see who had been consulted. Guess what, no retailer

More extensive public transport needed play a part in this, as the taxpayers and ratepayers have spent big on improving the area and now the businesses who will benefit should do something proactive.

Ian Ferguson

sular of Hauraki, Belmont, Bayswater, Narrow Neck and Devonport needs to be a big loop in both directions. Like the Link buses in the city.

Also, using the full length of Lake Rd would reduce the drive in-drive out cars as a direct route, especially if bus lanes were introduced and buses ran every 15 minutes.

At this time it’s more convenient to use a car and that’s what is causing the traffic woes.

However, this is all only justifiable if Fullers steps up to the plate and adds another Kea to double the services between Devonport and the city.

The Devonport Business Association should

If public transport is ever going to work between Devonport and Takapuna, then coverage and frequency will be of the utmost importance.

The two major traffic problems on Lake Road are the morning and afternoon traffic between Esmonde Road and Devonport, and of course, schools spilling out, interrupting flows.

The best way to move people efficiently is more buses, more frequently, to reduce the number of kids flooding out clogging the area up, and discouraging parents from picking up or dropping off their little darlings.

Rather than bus services in 2017 rerouting to seemingly make better use of buses, the penin-

$25,000 outrage RE the Council “thank you” function at Devonport wharf on 24 July.

I am outraged at the $25,000 cost of this when people are falling over on the footpath at 47 Tainui Road, because of pohutukawa root damage.

A “thank you” to the people involved in this project! Good God, they were paid to do it!

What next, a function to thank the rubbish collectors?

As for the $799 Dawn Blessing. A few words mumbled by some self-styled kaumatua, or anybody else for that matter, is absolute rubbish!

If the footpath ever gets fixed outside 47 Tainui Road, and the cause of the damage removed (pohutukawa tree), can we expect to see more of this nonsense ?

Taller buildings destroy Devonport to benefit a few Destroying that in order to cram in more revenue-producing property (remember when the Devonport Business Centre was untenanted for years?) is a self-defeating policy. Sure, a lot of nouveau riche have moved into the area in recent years; let them confine their bourgeois greed to their own lives without inflicting it on those of us who enjoy a pleasant neighbourhood.

R. France

I’ve lived in Devonport all my life but have never been a fan of visiting the cafes in the high street because one side or other is always in the shade and therefore freezing. Raising the height of the buildings will exacerbate this problem. The heights of both the Vic and Esplanade are immaterial because they are at busy open junctions where pedestrians are unaffected. Devonport’s attraction is in its peaceful, low-key character.

Terry Bracey

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Harcourts of Devonport Property Management Put the management of your rental property in safe hands. www.harcourts.co.nz

CONTACT Larissa Williams P 446 2108 M 021 960 313 E larissa.williams@harcourts.co.nz ©Copyright OceanFun Publishing Ltd

www.ofu.co.nz

August 21, 2015

Letters

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 15

Undercover Ron meets PM and gains clarity If you ever leave this village permanently, you’re going to regret it. I have seldom escaped the village over the last decade, so I may lack the vision some of you well-travelled people have of the real world, hence my views may be narrow. I did escape recently and bugger me, half of Devonport was on Waikiki beach. I was hoping for a more exotic view of the human race than you lot.

I was graced by our great leader’s company, in the air on the way over there, and we met again unexpectedly in a joint called Victoria’s Secret, in Waikiki’s backstreet shops.

I diligently searched all the cubicles for the security goons or Islamic threats, to no avail.

No yankie would ever believe the President could travel unescorted, let alone be found in a girls’ shop. I guess that the good thing about New Zealand is, we are clearly safe from the so-called terror threats, and our Prime Minister is a half-normal bloke.

Going further north near the Arctic Circle, there were no Devonport people or prime ministers or reminders, so my mind was clear to take in new views. There I was fishing on the side of a river, a red salmon on the line and a foul-mouthed grizzly backing me into icy water, wanting my fish; the place was cool.

It reminded me of Devonport, as we face the last-frontier syndrome here too. We keep asking Maggie how it is you could spoil the

paradise, and the questions remain unanswered. Indeed I’ve been labelled a NUTTA for asking. And even thousands of miles away you realise it’s no good to go limp and let the bastards ruin things.

I still demand that Maggie explains to us (with help of our local council): 1. How did you value and give away Bayswater marina?

2. How did you value and give away parts of Devo in a Treaty settlement that is nearly 100% out of line?

3. How do you to allow privileged players to take over Takapuna beach camp as you plan to see through against our wishes?

4. How do you stay silent as Ports of Auckland run roughshod over our harbour and claim all sorts of bull? Where are you Maggie on these things?

5. Where are you on Lake Rd – an AT fiasco? These idiots will trash our area with a superhighway like Pakuranga.

6. Will the supermarket giants trash Lake Road with free-market competition and an iron shed covering acres with the associated carpark? Why don’t you give them the old tip area for free and we can turn it into a paved carpark for the supermarket?

A holiday away has given me clarity.

Ron Dykman (Abridged, Editor)

OUT & ABOUT with MARIA TEAPE 445445 95339533 | maria@devonportpeninsulatrust.nz | dportcomm@xtra.co.nz

WINTER FUN PRESCHOOL PLAY MORNINGS Tuesdays, until 27th October, 9:30am-11am (including the school holidays) Bayswater School Hall, Bayswater Ave, Toddler time to play with big toys, be active and make new friends. Sessions are casual/free entry, caregiver supervision required. For more info, contact Moira or Maria ph: 445 9533 or email: maria@devonportpeninsulatrust.nz

FASHION SHOW! Wednesday 26th August, 7:30pm Bruce Mason Centre, The Promenade, Takapuna Colour Me is the theme of the 2015 TGS Fashion Show, now in its 11th year. The show continues to be a fundraiser for the Starship Foundation, raising $75,000 to date. NZ designers and student work, plus dancers and performers promise a night of fantastic entertainment!

Tickets available at Ticketmaster.

WELCOME TO BELMONT/BAYSWATER Tuesday 25th August, 10:30am The Rose Centre, School Rd, Belmont If you are new or have been in the area for a few months, we’d love to meet you. Join us for a cup of tea or coffee to find out more about what’s available in your community and to meet other newcomers. For more info, contact Kath ph: 445 9900 or Maria ph: 445 9533.

WELCOME TO DEVONPORT Friday 28th August, 10:30am Corelli’s Café, 46 Victoria Rd, Devonport New to Devonport or interested in meeting others from your community? You are warmly invited to Welcome to Devonport to find out more about what’s on and meet some new faces.

For more info, contact Rebecca ph: 445 3068 or Maria ph: 445 9533.

Devonport Peninsula Community eNEWS

To receive the Devonport Peninsula eNEWS, a monthly email listing of community events, and other community notices, please email us at maria@devonportpeninsulatrust.nz

Proudly supported by

Carol Wetzell

027 245 3392 c.wetzell@barfoot.co.nz

Ian Cunliffe

0800 248 521 i.cunliffe@barfoot.co.nz

Devonport 09 445 2010 | www.barfoot.co.nz

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 16

August 21, 2015

Council creates safety risk by failing to repair fence, says tennis player Mt Victoria’s public tennis courts are unusable and dangerous, according long-time local resident and tennis player Paul Anderson.

With summer approaching, only half the courts are fenced, allowing balls to fly onto the road and people are risking their safety retrieving them in the face of traffic.

Auckland Council took down part of the fence surrounding the two courts next to the summit road early in 2015, as it was in disrepair. But by not replacing it, council has created a new safety issue, says Anderson.

Last month, with no new fence in sight, Anderson contacted council and was told that a new fence wasn’t coming any time soon. “The fence may be replaced in the future, when budget allows, but will not be done before this summer,” Anderson was told. Council, in an email to Anderson, also said the courts were “functional and usable.”

Anderson disagrees. “They are learning courts, perfect for parents to play with their kids, for couples to have a go. But with beginner players, balls go everywhere… it would be very easy for tennis balls to end up on the road,” he says.

Anderson reckons it wouldn’t cost more than $15,000 to fix the fence and initially considered helping to raise the money with a local fundraising campaign and bringing his water blaster along to clear off the moss as well.

Safety advocate… Paul Anderson (with dog Ruby) at Mt Vic’s tennis courts “But then I read about the list of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board’s parks projects in the last Flagstaff and wondered why the courts weren’t included on it. Now my feeling is that the courts are a public asset that should be looked after and funded by council,” he says.

Located on Mt Victoria, the courts are

managed by Auckland Council under the direction of the Maunga Authority and not the Local Board.

“They are well-used courts with an incredible view and they should be safe too,” Anderson says, who plans to make a submission at the next Devonport-Takapuna Local Board public meeting.

Devonport Local Returns to Open Exhibition at Back Alley Tease Art Gallery OPENING NIGHT AUGUST 21ST, 7.00 PM The Back Alley Tease Art Studio in Wynyard St is a great new venue for artists to exhibit their work. It is a small gallery that has had some great exhibitions since opening in April 2015. Back Alley Tease is one of several local art galleries giving tourists another reason to visit Devonport. These galleries greatly appreciate the support of locals as well.

Justina ‘Maku’ Bisset was born and bred in Devonport. After teaching at Acorn Montessori in Devonport for six years, she headed off to Melbourne to pursue her art in a bigger city. The majority of Maku’s work, and what she loves to do most, is on one-off commissions for a variety of both personal and commercial clients. Maku has proven successful in her work, being privileged to work for iconic commercial clients such as Rusty America. Her work was showcased in the New Zealand TV series of The Block in 2014, as well as in various blogs and new articles in Australia.

Maku has since broadened her range of work and gone on to work on mural installations for bars, shops and homes. Maku also paints specifically for children and will have an area of her exhibition dedicated to artwork for children.

Back Alley Tease Art Gallery, 12/2 Wynyard Street, Devonport

This is Maku’s first exhibition in New Zealand and she is looking forward to showing her work in her home town. Tiger Beer have kindly offered to sponsor the opening night on August 21st.

The exhibition runs for two weeks until 4th September 2015.

August 21, 2015

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 17

Music to celebrate Molly’s battle and help others Molly Rowlandson is giving back to those who helped her, by holding a fundraiser for CanTeen at the Vic. She will sing with her band Molly and The Chromatics at A Big Night In to celebrate winning her own battle with cancer.

Rowlandson (22) grew up in Devonport as the oldest of three girls. In February 2013, she felt a lump on her neck and was diagnosed with Leukaemia.

She underwent nine months of chemotherapy, radiation to her brain and two years of maintenance treatment. “It all finishes this month,” she says.

CanTeen, a charity that supports young people affected by cancer, helped Rowlandson too.

“I have received a lot of support over the last two and a half years, especially from the local community and from Canteen, and this is my way to give back,” she says.

Molly and The Chromatics formed last year, with Rowlandson on vocals, Katie Braatvedt on saxophone, George Edgar on bass and Dillan Feenay on guitar. They all went to Takapuna Grammar School together. Rowlandson met drummer Sam Horgan while studying art history in Wellington. “We play soulful arrangements of covers and will hopefully have an original by

then,” she says.

Because of Devonport’s strong musical tradition, Rowlandson thought of organising a concert at the Vic. It donated the venue so 100 per cent of the night’s proceeds can go to CanTeen, she says.

Rowlandson says she is grateful for the local support she has received. “I have had an army of local supporters behind me through it all, including a Shave for a Cure event my friend Olivia Mune put on for me,” she says.

Rowlandson is also proud of herself for the way she coped with the pain and uncertainty. “It was a battle and I’m through the other side. The whole thing made me appreciate life and I just want to live it now,” she says.

She is currently finishing her art history degree in Auckland and works in advertising for the Clemenger Group.

“I don’t want the cancer to define me and am ready for an adventure. In November I am moving to Melbourne,” she says.

• Big Night In starts at 7.30 pm on Sunday 23 August at the Vic. Tickets are $20 presale and $25 at the door.

Support bands are Zarek Silberschmidt, (a guitar instrumentalist who combines Saying thanks through song… flamenco, funk and blues) and Sahara Molly Rowlandson is putting on a Adams (acoustic originals). fundraiser for CanTeen at the Vic

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 18

Interview

August 21, 2015

Devonport steals the show for Pippa

Pippa Wetzell sparkles on the television screen. She has co-hosted programmes such as Breakfast and Fair Go. But she is just as at home as a Devonport mum, juggling work, making school lunches and popping to New World in track pants. Wetzell spoke to Maire Vieth.

Television presenter Pippa Wetzell is now back home in time for family dinners after finishing a frantic five-months’ stint as cohost of the nightly TV One news show Seven Sharp. She was filling in for Toni Street, who was on maternity leave, while at the same time co-hosting Fair Go, TV One’s Wednesday night consumer-affairs programme.

Wetzell (38) and mother of two girls, Brodie (8) and Cameron (6), and son Taj (4), says juggling work and family life has been challenging in 2015. “I loved working on Seven Sharp, I really enjoyed it, but it was hard not being there for the school pick-ups and not being there in the evenings. The younger two would be in bed by the time I got home and so I missed all that quietening-down time when they tell you about what happened in their days. Those sorts of things are important to me,” she says.

Until five years ago, Wetzell worked long and early hours as the co-host of TVNZ’s news and talk show Breakfast, alongside Paul Henry. She resigned from the show in October 2010, shortly after Henry left. Taj was born months later and Wetzell has been working part time ever since. She presented One News at 4.30 pm before joining Fair Go in 2013.

Wetzell has long-established Devonport roots. She arrived on the peninsula as a thirdform student at Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) at the age of 13.

Carol and Clem Wetzell and their three daughters (Kylie, Pippa and Anya) were living in Castor Bay, but all the girls went to TGS. “We were in zone for Westlake Girls but my parents were keen for us to go to a co-ed school. We were all girls and they were really keen for us to have some boys in our lives, funnily enough, bit of male influence, and Takapuna Grammar had a good name,” she says.

By the time Pippa was 14 her parents had separated. Carol and the girls moved to Belmont and became locals.

www.scapetech.co.nz scapetech@clear.net.nz

A nationally recognised face, but in Devonport Pippa Wetzell blends in with the community In her first year at TGS, Wetzell says she noticed what Devonport teenagers these days refer to as ‘the Bubble.’ “I remember thinking how really close-knit the kids were.

Geographically they have been in this, what do we call it, ‘bubble’ so everyone seemed to know each other really well. They had this history, which I hadn’t experienced so much where I was growing up,” she says.

Wetzell’s husband Torrin Cowther lived on Clarence St and grew up in Devonport, but went to Westlake Boys. He and Wetzell were teenage friends, dated briefly and got together again in their early twenties. They moved back to Devonport in 2004 and married two years later.

Wetzell says as a parent she is watching her children enjoy the Devonport upbringing.

“When Brodie started kindy I remember looking around at the other kids and thinking that she will go through all her schooling years with them. They might not end up at the same primary school but odds are they will see each other at sports, on the rugby field or in ballet class, and end up in the same intermediate and high school together. It’s a pretty cool feeling,” she says.

The close community is what brings back many Devonporters, Wetzell says, including her younger sister Anya who arrived home two weeks ago after living in Europe for 11 years.

Taj is just finishing his first season of rippa rugby. “So we have started visiting the rugby club again. It’s probably been 20 years since I set foot in there for a few parties when I was a teen,” she says.

“The Vic was open then too and I would see movies there until not long before it closed.

It’s good to have it open again.”

What was she like at Takapuna Grammar?

“Good,” Wetzell responds quickly, but it is obviously true. She and both her sisters, were Head Girl. “I thoroughly enjoyed school, had lovely friends, was a committed student and involved in lots of activities and sports,” she says.

Sports were an important social connection for Wetzell. “I played lots of netball, basketball and volleyball and did rowing for a few seasons. My older sister said: “just do everything and then you can choose what you do and don’t like.” So I did and kept up with netball and basketball all the way through school,” she says.

During her OE, Wetzell spent a year working as a teacher aide in a Yorkshire private school. “It wasn’t super, super flash, but I was at times amused by some of the formalities I wasn’t used to. Lunchtime was a lot more civilised there. The kids had lots of different uniforms for everything and you had to wear shoes for PE. You’d never go barefoot,” she says.

Interview

August 21, 2015 Back in New Zealand, Wetzell fell into studying communications at AUT (then Auckland Institute of Technology). “If I am perfectly honest, I think mum kind of chose it for me. While I was away, my parents got a little bit nervous about what I would do with my life. So they enrolled me in a few things and I got accepted for the communications degree,” she says.

She was nudged into TV by an old TGS friend, Kirstan Sweetman, who told her to apply for a job on the TVNZ news desk graveyard shift. “From 11 pm until 7 am you are the only and most junior person in the newsroom and you are in charge, have to record the overseas newsfeed, check in with emergency services around the country and keep up with what is happening,” she says.

Wetzell quickly moved on to a production job and then to reporting for the Breakfast show. “Years later, when I was presenting on Breakfast, I realised I had pretty much done every job there was on the show,” she says.

The transition from reporter to TV presenter was gradual. “I started filling in a bit.

The executive producer on Breakfast, who I handed over to during my graveyard shifts, needed a back-up presenter and she asked me to give it a shot. So for a few months I filled in when they needed me,” she said, Wetzell had received voice training as a reporter, but says the presenting was a different kettle of fish. “There is far more emphasis on you being yourself and showing a bit of personality. They kind of identify certain traits

that might work, let you fill in and see if it all comes together,” she says.

Experienced presenters have mentored her.

“Simon Dallow was really generous with his time. I worked a bit with Alison Mau and Susan Wood, who were great. And you also pick up things by osmosis.”

The way journalism is changing, having

“There is far more emphasis on you being yourself and showing a bit of personality,” says Pippa Wetzell on being a television presenter.” an opinion on news events is becoming ever more important, Wetzell says. “You have got your blogs and your Twitters and people often expect to get their information from there and with a bit of personality.”

In a short Seven Sharp editorial, Wetzell recently said New Zealand should up its refugee quota. “Not hugely raise but a little bit, and wow, it pushed a few buttons and got quite a response,” she says.

While working with Paul Henry on Breakfast, pushing buttons had been Henry’s job, and Wetzell’s was to ensure he didn’t go too far.

This sat well with Wetzell. “To be perfectly honest, I’m not really the kind of person who

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 19 loves pushing buttons. I certainly don’t say things to be controversial, but I think the fact that this one encouraged a conversation and a debate is good,” she says.

When she leaves the TV studio, Wetzell says her private life is much the same as other Devonport residents. “I don’t think my day is that different from that of other people. I often get woken at a quarter past six by my little boy, who comes in for a cuddle. You rush around in the morning, make lunches and get breakfast and nag the children to brush their teeth, make their beds and get their bags and get everyone dropped off. And on the days I am working I then head off to work. Now I am back in the evening and just feel a bit more on top of things,” she says.

Devonport people treat her as one of their own, with no special treatment, which she likes. “I don’t feel like a TV personality here. I am far more likely to get stopped here because I am Carol’s daughter or Taj’s mum or went to school with someone, and everyone has seen me in my track pants and my hair pulled up at the supermarket and that’s nothing particularly glamorous,” she says.

Just like other parents, Wetzell helps out at school fundraisers, such as the Devonport Primary School Fair on the Hill, where she has MCd in the past. “The irony with that was that I thought it was such an easy job and was sort of cheating, except for the number of people who came up to me and said they would do anything, any job at the fair, not to ever have to do it.”

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August 21, 2015

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Readers have been noticing more native birds in the area recently. The wood pigeon (above) was enjoying a feast in a kowhai tree at Lake Rd, while at the same property a tui (right) seemed to have found mother’s milk. A pair of wood pigeons were spotted on Calliope Rd (left).

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WELCOME HOME!

Frigate HMNZS TE KAHA and tanker HMNZS ENDEAVOUR returned to Devonport Naval Base on Sunday 2 August after long deployments.

More than 1100 ecstatic family members and friends welcomed the ships home. The ships were honoured with a flypast by two Navy Seasprite helicopters and a gun salute from ashore in response to one from TE KAHA. TE KAHA had been away since 16 February, initially to Australia, then to Gallipoli for the 100th anniversary of the Anzac Day landings in World War I. The frigate then spent more than a month on a Combined Maritime Forces patrol in the Western Indian Ocean, seizing and destroying $235 million of heroin from two dhows boarded

by Ship’s Company. Immediately before returning to New Zealand, TE KAHA joined ENDEAVOUR in Darwin for Exercise Talisman Sabre. ENDEAVOUR meanwhile had sailed for Australia on 9 March, where she helped resupply and support Royal Australian Navy ships, before going to Malaysia and Singapore waters for Exercise Bersama Shield. Needless to say, the crew are enjoying being back in Devonport, and taking time off with family and friends.

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 25

August 21, 2015

Seed sown for Devonport-Cambodia connection Andrea Paulich’s vision is a connection between school children in Devonport and Cambodia. This August she will host a public information evening to talk about her idea.

Paulich is the founder of Seed of Small Beginnings (Seed), a non-profit organisation that funds educational projects in the city of Battambang and the remote rural village Bech Khlock.

“It is my dream to establish a partnership between them and the children of Devonport, seeing them correspond and learn about each other’s ways and help each other wherever they can,” she says.

So far Seed has raised $5,000, mostly from within Paulich’s circle of friends and family. In May, the organisation also received a $1,000 grant from US foundation The Pollination Project.

Paulich gets a lot done with the money. On a recent trip, she helped upgrade the two-room school in Bech Khlock where 140 children were without clean water, electricity or sanitation and have only limited access to medical care.

“When we got there it basically looked like a cowshed. It had a dirt floor and only a couple of benches. With the help of two locals, we got concrete floors into two classrooms and gave the building proper walls.

“We had to find fast, easy and low-budget solutions,” she says. Each classroom renovation cost $650, each concrete floor $230. Seed also provided school materials, including a blackboard, books, pencils scissors and dental and other medical products. A toilet costs $500 and a community water filter $1,500,” she says.

Paulich is a mother of three children, aged between 16 and 25. Originally from Switzerland, she moved to Devonport seven years ago. She self-funds her own expenses and she travels cheaply too. “I try to live on $10 a day if I can stay at someone’s house, $20 a day if I need accommodation,” she says. When in Battambang, she cycles everywhere.

• Paulich will share photos and videos, talk about her work and answer any questions at the information evening at 7pm on Thursday 27 August at St Paul’s Church hall. Entry is free.

From little things big things grow… Andrea Paulich makes funds stretch in Cambodia

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Trades & Services

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 26

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 27

For all your glazing requirements Competitive Rates and Free Quotes Double Glazing New Glazing & Re-Glazing Re-Putties Mirrors Insurance repairs Pet doors – supply and fit

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 28 ACCOMMODATION

SERVICES OFFERED

Classy 3 bedroom, 2 full bath, fully furnished Devonport house on Achilles Reserve near Narrow Neck. More information go to www.devonporttuihouse.weebly.com or www.sabbaticalhomes.com.

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Devonport short let. Large, comfortable, 4 bed fully furnished family home available for rent short term.

Great location, close to Vauxhall shops and views down Cheltenham beach.

Phone: 022 3175 401.

House for rent short-term in central Devonport. Available 10 August - 1 November.

Phone Margaret 021 101 4940.

Relatives visiting? Spacious garden studio with en-suite and kitchenette; minutes to Narrow Neck beach. Reasonable rates.

Ph Pauline 445 6471.

Stunning Cheltenham Beach Cottage, metres from the beach. Available for short or long-term holiday accommodation. Beautifully refurbished, one bedroom, self-contained cottage with a private garden. Phone Rebekah 027 694 3933 or email devonportbeks@gmail.com

10 YEARS’ experience.

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Komatua Care Centre – We care for older people who have memory loss and behavioural difficulties. Professional care is given in a nurturing environment. For all enquiries - phone 445 1707.

cling furniture for 36 years.

John Hancox, Telephone: 446-0372.

At Your Request Home Cleaning. Our local team is ready to deliver 5-Star services in your home for weekly cleaning, spring, moving or open-home cleaning.

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Builder available Small job specialist, repairs and maintenance. Skilled, reliable and local. Please phone Clive Melling. Hm 445 2485, Mob 027 29 222 84.

Cars wanted dead or alive.

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Cleaning Maid Easy Use own cleaning products and gear.

Reliable/trustworthy/mature lady. References available Please contact Sharon - 021 405 596.

Curtains & Roman Blinds Free measure, quote and design advice. 20 years’ exREST HOMES perience. Phone Sara 027 Ascot House Retirement 625 5844.

Home, quality care with digni- Devonport upholstery. Rety in a friendly, family atmos- cover specialist. Antiques and phere. Phone Shona, 445 2518. contemporary styles. Recy-

Devonport Window Repairs. Sash and casement windows, wooden doors.

Rotten sills and window components repaired or replaced. General carpentry.

For your local window specialist. Phone Hubert Strang 446 6174 or 021 274 4191.

Classifieds SERVICES OFFERED

August 21, 2015

SERVICES OFFERED

SITUATIONS VACANT

Diggadrain. Drain unblock- Locksmith, Devonport’s Part-time Chartered Acers and drainage experts. own Scott Richardson. countant‘Our fun and frantic CCTV drain locating. Repairs. mob 021 976 607.

Devonport business needs a New drains. 0800 your drain. part-time CA. Perhaps a mornSmall biz solutions – the light ing a week. Business Analysis Dog grooming available. at the end of the tunnel! Book and proactive Management Full groom, bath and blow Keeping/Data Entry – MYOB, Accounting experience needdry, puppy introduction to XERO; Payroll, PAYE, Emed, plus exp. of sole charge in grooming. Devonport-based. ployment Contracts; Credit a small business environment.

Call Barbara 021 141 0331. Control, Invoicing, StateCould suit parent of school-age ments; GST, Month & Year Gardener Available Qualkids. Call Jonno on 021 548 End preparation; EXCEL ified and experienced land344 and lets chat.

Spreadsheets; Emails, Letters, scape designer. Enjoys getting Phone Calls, Filing; Logo his hands dirty. Good plant TUITION Design, Illustration, Copy writknowledge. Hardworking, ing; Print-ready Artwork for Acoustic and classical reliable and creative with Business Cards & Flyers; Web- guitar, music theory. Fun, plantings. Contact Paddy site content and photograph comprehensive, tailored to 022 502 2122 or 446 6188 updates. Hours as you require, you! Devonport-based. Mipaddyvogt@gmail.com no minimum (when based on chelle Birch, BMus (Hons) Gardening. Do you need Devonport peninsula), $30/hr. michellebirch@zoho.com, regular help? No time for Local resident with 25+ years www.michellebirch.com a tidy up? Let me help. experience. Phone Sharon 027 Art Classes - @ Devonport Experienced gardener. Ph 272 5977 to sort the stuff that Community House, Clarence Carolyn on 446 6517 or isn’t your cup of tea, then get St. with tutor Lucy Bucknall 027 292 8167 for a free on-site back to doing what YOU DO B.F.A Hons (pick up brochures consultation.CEO BEST in your business! there) Mastering Art -Thursday Handyman. Mature pro- Tagbuster, graffiti looked or Friday mornings $340 - per fessional in Devonport, after Devonport to Hauraki 9 weeks. New - Art for Teens Bayswater area. Repairs, Corner. Call the Tagbuster Wednesday after school - $260 painting, those jobs you 0800antitag, 0800 2684 824. per 8 weeks & Life Drawing - Wednesday evenings - $240 just don’t have time to do.

Free quote. References. SITUATIONS VACANT per 8 weeks. Some materials, refreshments, model fees Ph. Brian 021 150 8898.

Babysitter/Carer wanted We provided (currently signing Housewashing, prof. ser- require a casual babysitter for our 4 up) Tel - Lucy 446 0389. vice, 10 years-plus experi- year old girl who has an intellectual lucybucknall@clear.net.nz ence, reliable and prompt. disability. She is lively and sociable www.lucy-bucknall.co.nz Free quotes, also decks, but requires constant supervision. driveways, paths fences, We require someone caring and roof moss treatments etc. energetic who is available for 3-4 Phone Rod 021 390 800. hours at the weekend at a time that Ironing: Professional, reliable, suits. Experience with a child with fast turnaround. Call Denise or special needs not necessary but exPeter 486-1614/0223-552-350. perience with young children is an advantage. Rate negotiable. Please call or text Jo on 0272990086

TUITION Experienced Biology and Science tutor available for junior Science, NCEA Levels 1-3 Biology and Science, Scholarship, and Cambridge Biology. Email: devobiotutor@gmail.com or txt /call 021 073 6768.

Learn piano/keyboard. Lessons from $17.00. Private, Professional, Affordable, Enjoyment for all ages. Competitions, Practical, Theory Exams. NZ Modern School of Music 0800-696-874.

Mathematics Tuition, Sensitive tutoring offered at all levels of the secondary school curriculum. NCEA, IB and Cambridge welcomed. 97% pass rate in 2014. NCEA 3 calculus specialist. Ph Peter Ridge BE,Dip Tchg (sec) 445 2283.

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 29

August 21, 2015

Book Club takes off at BIS COMING UP 8 – 26 August

Opening Saturday 8 August 2 – 3.30pm

From the Peninsula to the Islands Takapuna Grammar School Charity Exhibition A a charitable exhibition in support of Project Samoa, an initiative to raise funds for the small Samoan community, Lotopue which was affected by the 2009 tsunami. This exhibition will enable the students to raise money for this community and help the schools by setting up a foundation to fund Takapuna Grammar School to travel to Samoa and teach English.

Takapuna Grammar School: Works on Paper 2015 Works on Paper is an exhibition celebrating the achievement of Takapuna Grammar School’s visual art students. Each work displays the individual talent and style of an artist in their senior years, through the medium of photography, design, drawing or paint.

Expanding horizons… from left: Devon Cox, Zion Tshimanga, Alana Rodrigues-Birch (standing), Will Dalzell, Hunter Chen (standing), Jannet Binepal and Charlotte Tappenden Whether you’re old or young, there is nothing like sharing a good read.

That’s what the members of Belmont Intermediate School’s new book club found out.

The club started out as a school initiative to nurture reading and improve literacy, but it has taken on a story of its own, says school librarian and teacher in charge Debbie Dickinson.

Alana Rodrigues-Birch and Hunter Chen are coordinating the club’s weekly meetings.

It’s an open club, so kids can come and go as they please.

The structure is easy, says Alana. “Everyone can bring in a book they’d like to swap with someone else and then we talk about the books a bit,” she says. Alana is a big reader.

She was on the school’s Lit Quiz team that this year missed out on winning the Auckland regional competition by half a point.

Hunter has created a spreadsheet to keep track of who has what book. He also designed a reading log. “People can write

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down what they read and make notes on each chapter if they want,” he says.

Jannet Binepal says the club has been eye-opening for her. “It’s been great to see what other people like to read and I read bigger books now. I moved on from The Series of Unfortunate Events to Harry Potter,” she says.

Devon Cox says she enjoys getting to meet other book lovers. “The club also gives me more creativity. Before I just read graphic novels and now I have moved on from that,” she says.

Charlotte Tappenden has expanded her horizons. “I normally read sci-fi fantasy and borrowed The Maze Runner. After reading it I thought it was really interesting,” she says.

Zion Tshimanga says she now finds books take her on adventures, just like movies.

The club has been running since the beginning of Term 2, says Dickinson.

“And it’s all just happening. It’s a student-run open forum and there are basically no rules,” she says.

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 30

August 21, 2015

Jenny Hinton, Gillian Borrowdale-Kay & Colin Kay, Anne Iremonger

“All Went Way Beyond Our Expectations” “We have recently sold our much loved home of 18 years.

Our Sales Consultants were Jenny Hinton and Anne Iremonger from Harcourts of Devonport.

Jenny and Anne were amazing and it all went well and beyond our expectations.

They were delightful to deal with and sorted through all the details with care, efficiency and in an enthusiastic manner.

Selling a house is a stressful time so it was wonderful having Jenny and Anne to help us with our many questions. Any queries we may have had were dealt with immediately.

We would also like to say they were most helpful with the house presentation, the photography and the auction. The sale was very well planned.

We would not hesitate to recommend Jenny and Anne to anyone who is considering selling their home.”

n Colin & Gillia

ANNE IREMONGER & JENNY HINTON Are happy to announce their sponsorship of the Banner for the local Justice of the Peace available at the Devonport Library from 12 noon to 2.00 pm each Monday (except Public Holidays).

Please come and talk to us about selling and buying. Our focus is on detail and our dedication to excellence is shown every day, we would love to hear from you.

Anne P. 09 446 2117 M. 021 443 959

Jenny P. 09 446 2126 M. 027 773 1841

One Team One Vision 18 Clarence St, Devonport Phone: 446 2030 | Fax: 445 4004

www.devonport.harcourts.co.nz

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 31

August 21, 2015

Lucky escape, but with a hefty price tag

Rear-end avoided, but side impact collision could be costly... cars damaged in main-street smash The driver of a car involved in a car crash on Victoria Rd last Friday was believed to be unlicensed.

A blue Mazda Premacy being driven up Victoria Rd crashed into a parked Nissan X-Trail on Friday afternoon, extensively damaging both vehicles.

It is understood that both cars were uninsured and the driver of the Mazda did not have a

driver’s licence.

Witnesses at the scene said a young female was driving the Mazda, and three passengers were in the car – two young females and a young boy. Witnesses said the young woman told them she crashed into the Nissan to avoid colliding with a car in front of her, which abruptly stopped at the zebra crossing near Devonport Library.

Ambulance staff attended to the young boy,

Kate Newby Mr + Mrs Hands 2014 fired porcelain, earthenware and stoneware, hand formed glass, table, ink on paper Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki purchased 2015

who was crying, but did not appear to be injured.

Nissan owner Leo Yu, from Beach Haven, was having lunch with his mother at the Esplande when the accident occurred. “I had cancelled my insurance because I am going back to China in two weeks,” he says.

Yu’s car was pushed into a public phone booth, which was also damaged in the accident.

Police are investigating.

Until 1 Nov FREE ENTRY

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 32

August 21, 2015

Takapuna

Grammar

SCHOOL NEWS

AUGUST 21, 2015

Charge It – Socket Pocket Since the beginning of this year, the Level 3 business students have been working on products to market and sell. Five entrepreneurial students developed the idea of a Socket Pocket – a phone charger extension that would contain the phone and the charger itself. They called their company Charge It, and began designing their product. The Socket Pocket hangs from the plug and in it you can store your phone and its charger cord. The benefits of this are that it stops tripping over charger cords, and it also prevents stretching and breaking of the cord, which are major problems smart-phone users encounter today.

This innovative product is also sustainable, as it is made from “off the roll” fabric materials (offcuts from fabric companies). The team is very concerned with having an environmentallyfriendly product and even their business cards are made out of recycled materials. A percentage of the profits gained from this project will go towards a charity chosen by the team at Charge It. The first batch of Socket Pockets should be available to order soon.

The Charge It team will also be entering their

product in the Young Enterprise Competition, which is a national competition where they will present their products to the judges in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style event. If you would like to

learn more about the product, Charge It also has a Facebook page: facebook.com/chargeitnz and an instagram: chargeitnz.

BY JORDAN BLUM

Our new Science Centre officially opened After nearly 35 years, the not-so-new ‘New’ block has a new name and look. State-of-theart laboratories, open-plan classrooms and a modern exterior are all parts of the recently renovated ‘N’ block.

The Rowan Nicks Science Centre was officially opened on 29 July, by relatives of Dr Nicks, and Angela Te Wiata and Dr Jonathan Hope, with staff, prefects and guests attending.

The science precinct is named after former student and successful cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Rowan Nicks. Dr Nicks not only designed the first automatic pacemaker but also established several scholarships for surgeons from developing countries to come and study in New Zealand and Australia. He passed away in 2011.

The new science classrooms have been very well received by students and teachers alike.

“While the historic Main Block has its

charms, moving out and having the whole department together in one space has obvious

benefits,” said Mr Heneghan, HOD of Science.

BY DOUGAL BURDEN

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 33

August 21, 2015

Takapuna SCHOOL NEWS

Grammar AUGUST 21, 2015

Young engineers hard at work Minutes began to tick away on a Saturday as the four teams of four got cracking on the time-sensitive question. The question was: How long will it take for a video to become viral and reach one per cent of the world’s population when it was released at 9 a.m. through emails and social media? The 16 hopefuls were competing in the National Young Engineers Competition, hoping to win a scholarship.

The students received a total of nine hours to compile their notes and create a report that answered the question with graphs and calculations. The teachers in attendance – Mrs Charlett-Green, Miss Turner, Mr Coverdale and Mr Heneghan the HOD of Science – needed to remind students of the fast-ticking time bomb. The intensive report was to be sent in by email before the deadline of 6:00 p.m. “It was an exciting and stimulating challenge that allowed me to apply many of the different skills I learnt in class to a practical situation,” says Year 11 student Harvey Merton.

“It was an intense duration of hard effort and countless Google searches, but we all thoroughly enjoyed every hour of compiling our report together,” Melanie Kim says. The teams feel confident with their efforts and can’t wait for the results to be released, late in September. “The competition was a great chance for us to test our innovation and problem-solving skills in a creative way,” added Katherine Jacobs.

BY SERENA YOUNG

Alive in the library Lunchtimes in the library are now filled with fun events aimed to entertain students and keep them off their devices. The ‘Beyond Books’ programme has been initiated by head librarian Annie White, to provide alternative activities for students (and teachers) at lunchtimes. Each day of the week is dedicated to something different with board games kicking off Mondays. A wide selection of board games such as Chess, Chinese checkers, Scrabble and Yahtzee as well as some electronic Brain Box sets are offered.

Tuesdays are a chance for the Performing Arts Department to demonstrate their talents.

So far, there has been a showcase of dance, the TGS String Orchestra, and the Barbershop Quartet ‘The Foxy Pitches’, with acts lined up

for the rest of the term. The varied programme presented by these groups attracts a high number of supporters during rainy lunchtimes.

Wednesdays alternate between a studentlibrarian led Book Club, with over 30 members attending the first meeting that featured a guest storyteller. Mr Scovell from the PE department made a successful appearance reading from Corey Jane’s new book, Winging It. Every Thursday at the library marks the meeting of the steadily growing Knitting Club

run by librarian Helen Stewart. “Staff are also dropping in to knit a few rows, eat their lunch and chat with our industrious and creative students,” added Mrs White.

Fridays feature a Film and Documentary Club run by Mrs Jackie Rodgers. Many inspiring TED talks have been played, including popular ones by John Green and Dan Gilbert. The library is proving to be a thriving social hub for students and staff alike.

BY EMILLY FAN

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 34

August 21, 2015

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 35

August 21, 2015

Theft from Scouts

Around $14,000 worth of boating equipment has been stolen from the Calliope Sea Scout Group premises, leaving scout leaders worried that the start of the group’s summer water activities will be delayed.

Long-time group leader Chris Leech says two large 15 HP outboard motors, a small rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) with a smaller 5 HP motor, a small outboard motor trolley, petrol tanks, a pump and a few other “small rats and mice parts” were found to be missing from the basement of The Ship on King Edward Parade last month.

Leech reported the theft to the police, who noticed a broken window lock and dusted the area for fingerprints but didn’t get any leads from it, he says. “We also talked to the neighbours, but someone carrying away boating equipment here does not look out of place or suspicious so we still have no idea who did it,” he says.

Last week, committee members filed an insurance claim.

“We are just waiting to see how that pans out.

Hopefully we can get it all done before the start of term 4, which is really when our sailing season starts. We can’t go out on the water without our safety boats,” says Leech.

The club’s insurance policy covers replacement value of the hall’s contents and has a $1,000 deduction.

The equipment was funded through community grants and donations from local businesses, including Devonport Rotary, Gill and Gundry, and New World. The club’s own fundraising also contributed to some equipment, he says The exact date of the incident is uncertain.

“One week the leaders were down there and everything was there and the next week they took the cutter out and noticed that things were missing. First we thought maybe one of us took them to be serviced but that turned out not to be the case,” says Leech.

The Calliope Sea Scouts Group has about 60 members aged five to 16, and is entirely run by volunteers. It is the oldest Sea Scout Group in New Zealand, and was founded in 1921.

Neighbours react to Allen Hill Upgrade A local residents group has been formed in response to the recently announced $2.4 million funding awarded by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board to North Shore United Football Club to finance the conversion of two fields to artificial turf, and the installation of new floodlights.

The club also wants to build a new clubhouse, paid for by its own fundraising activities.

The residents group has drawn together people living in Abbotsford Tce, Victoria Rd and Bulwer St. The residents say that the planned upgrades at Allen Hill Stadium will affect not only those living on neighbouring streets, but will also have an impact on the wider Devonport community.

Residents’ spokesperson Michele Lennan says the ongoing congestion on Lake Rd will be exacerbated, with the increased number of people using the grounds and the loss of 50 car parks to create a second pitch.

The group is also concerned no consideration has been given to the environmental impacts of excavation and returfing potentially toxic ground — Dacre Park borders a former landfill.

“They’ve put the cart before the horse, and have not investigated the feasibility of this,” says Lennan about the board’s decision. The artificial surface gives off a noxious rubber odour, trees will have to be cut down and the returning birdlife will be under threat, she says.

OPEN OPEN HOME HOME The residents are asking for a publicly notifiable resource consent process.

OPEN OPEN HOME HOME

OPEN HOME

22

Winter Weekend Play Sundays 9.30-11am Looking for something to do on a wet Sunday morning with your preschoolers?

Grab a coffee and come down to the Community House and enjoy the space and toys we have to play with.

Runs through until 30th August.

Welcome to devonPort Friday 28th august 10.30am Are you new to Devonport or interested in meeting others in the community?

You are warmly invited to Welcome to Devonport hosted by the Community House and Community Coordinator at Correlli’s Café.

For more info ph Rebecca 445 3068 or Maria 445 9533.

van volunteerS Wednesdays 10-12pm

We are on the lookout for another couple of extra drivers for a community van service. If you are available to drive our van one Wednesday morning a month, take some lovely older Devonport residents to the supermarket and assist with shopping for those who need it, we would love to hear from you. It’s a great service and one that is truly appreciated by those who 09 Devonport Devonport 09445 44520 2 use it. Ph 445 3068

11

1

Inner Devonport Find

community HouSe aGm

Come and find out more about the Community House and Creche and the work we do. Join us for drinks and nibbles from 7pm for 7.30pm meeting and presentation start.

AGM

2

92A Victoria Rd, Devonport

3

Guest Speaker:

4

44

Sue Evans 2 1 3 M 021 448 977 A/H 09 446 0036 22 11 33 Takapuna 09 489 5084

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25 August, 7.30pm At The Vic

33

community HouSe 20 yearS at clarence Street

 Devonport 49A Albert Rd  

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monday 31st august

If you have got old photos, news clippings or stories to share about the Community House we would love to hear from you as we prepare to celebrate 20 years since the move to Easy to live in and so easy to love, this immaculate 49A 49A Albert RdRd 32 Clarence Street later this year. brick and cedar semi-contemporary townhouse is Albert set

Devonport Devonport Birkenhead Birkenhead 55A 55A Tui Tui Glen Glen Road Road above Devonport’s bustling Village in popular Victoria

YOU ARE INVITED TO:

WHAT’S ON

M 021 952 452

M 021 M 021 952952 452452

E t.fitzgerald@barfoot.co.nz Devonport 09 445 2010 E t.fitzgerald@barfoot.co.nz E t.fitzgerald@barfoot.co.nz LICENSED AGENT REAA 2008

Devonport Devonport 0909 445 445 2010 2010

On the beat

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 36

August 21, 2015

Joyriders apprehended

With community constable Jackie Strickland Greetings to all readers. If you recall my last article I had mentioned that we were having an increase in car-related crime. That has thankfully slowed right down after some juvenile offenders were arrested after a night of mayhem back in mid-July. They crashed a stolen car in Church St and then attempted to steal several cars before being successful with their endeavours. This saw a massive

overnight spike in crime that all centred around the Tainui Rd, Vauxhall Rd, North Head area.

These youths are now all going through the Youth Justice System Since that time we have still had several break-ins to vehicles, but it’s unlikely to be the youths mentioned above - it appears that others, possibly local, are active in the central Devonport area. Those vehicle break-ins have occurred in Patuone Ave, Mozeley Ave and Church St localities.

A little further up the peninsula in Belmont, we have had two thefts from garages, where a chainsaw was stolen from one and a lawnmower from the other. If you have anything of value in your sheds, and most of us do, it’s vital that you keep these locked at all times. I know that if it’s a nice weekend and you’re working in the yard it’s easy to leave the garage/shed unlocked

and open, but it’s important to remember that it only takes a matter of seconds for some opportunist walking/driving down the road, to see what you have, and then to help themselves.

Last but not least, a resident of Cracroft St had an expensive pushchair stolen from the backyard. Sadly anything that can be on-sold, even for a small amount of cash, is a target for criminals.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget if you see anything suspicious call 111 immediately and, where possible, take photos and/or record any information to do with the incident for Police reference.

If you have any information that might help Police, you can also call “Crime Stoppers” anonymously on 0800 555 111, or for more information go to the Crime Stoppers website http://www.crimestoppers-nz.org/

Letters

Resident cries foul over base behaviour

Porn stories uninteresting

Michael Fielding is right. The stories about porn on the internet (from public access points) are sensationalist, uninteresting and poor quality. The story was created where there was none; a mountain out of a molehill.

The Flagstaff is usually better than that.

Sarah Wooding    Bevan Rudge       Tips for trouble-free computing          Q: I have an Acer Aspire laptop, and just recently I had turned it on and after the Acer screen comes up,  there is just a black screen afterwards and at the same time is a clicking noise by where the sticker        is. I researched this and it seems others have this problem too. How should I proceed with this?        A:  The most usual thing to make a clicking sound is the hard drive, and it’s not really a good thing to hear.    In technical circles, we call this the ‘hard drive death rattle’. That the  laptop only boots to a black screen      may be an indication that the hard drive has already failed. You don’t say how old the laptop is - is it still       under warranty?

If so, take it back to where you purchased it from.

Bear in mind that most laptops only      last around 2-3 yrs, so if it is older than that it’s best to go out and just buy a new one. Whatever you do,      back up all your data first!

Upcycle your laptop       Wanted: old laptops still in working Q:  A mystery with the email program on my new computer – none of the  emails that I receive remain     condition to refurbish and donate to the  in my Inbox on my Ipad once I have opened them in Outlook – they always did before and I want Red Cross Refugee service.      If you are upgrading, I will pass on  them to still remain in Yahoo Xtra mail as often I want to answer them away from home. What is the    your old computers to help refugees  solution?      A: Yes, there is an option to have the emails still available on the mail server even after you have downloaded     them. In Outlook click on Tools > Email Accounts and choose ‘View’ to see the existing email accounts.     On the screen that comes up, click on ‘More Settings’ and in the next window that comes up, go to the    ‘Advanced’ tab. Tick the box that says ‘leave a copy on the server’ and also tick the one to say ‘delete from     the server after 21 days’ - whatever length of time suits you. That will sort it!       Q:  I have the automatic update running but on rebooting after some updates I now can’t log on to my    computer. The error message says: the Net Logon Windows Service failed to load the profile.       Why go anywhere else?!

A: Unfortunately this is not an uncommon problem in Windows 7 and is caused by an incorrect rewriting to    the Windows Registry database.

It’s certainly not a sign of a failed hard drive!

This can be fixed relatively    easily and painlessly so give us a call to arrange a time to drop your laptop over here.      Recently I hired a small skip, which was placed on my berm. The day after it arrived I went to throw my chunks of concrete and wood into it, but there were five huge plastic bags of dog sh* t in the bottom. As soon as I threw my stuff in there, the bags ruptured, and there were faeces all over the base of

the bin. Some poor person was going to have to hose that bin out when it got back to Bargain Bins. It’s a pretty unhygienic and thoughtless thing to do. Please have a sense of community and take your dog’s doo-doos home with you.





Red Dragon Computers 445 7810

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445 7810 

 Serving Devonport Businesses, Home Users and the Devonport Community since 2001 

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The Devonport Flagstaff Page 37

August 21, 2015

Our people

Suzanne Butler taking on world’s best

Nothing seems to faze Suzanne Butler, who juggles a full-time job as a business analyst with training for the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final.

In September Butler will represent New Zealand in the 50-54 year age group in Chicago. “It’s something that I’ve basically just added to my life,” she says.

It’s her family’s support that makes it all possible. “I am very lucky to have a supportive husband who cooks the dinner most evenings while I’m out at yoga or spin classes or running,” she says.

Butler’s sister Maree is another active supporter. Until recently, she and Suzanne trained together. Maree is also travelling to Chicago, as is Suzanne’s husband David Smaill and daughter Rebecca.

Says Maree: “We will be cheering and wearing something that says ‘Go Suzanne’ and helping her celebrate afterwards.”

The rest is up to Suzanne and how disciplined she is from now until race day.

“I basically follow a diary and train every day, sometimes twice. I cycle or swim at the Tepid Baths before work. Swimming is my weakness so I am working on my technique.

And on the bike I am trying to get used to my tri bars and will need to start practising my anti-clockwise turns,” she says.

Preparation for the race has been going on for much of the year. “I had to qualify for the event in Kinloch this February, so I had to train a couple of months for that.

And since early June, I have had to step up my training quite a bit,” she says.

Butler has competed in five triathlons over the last ten years, including the Kinloch event. “I was never competitive in sports at school, but I have always been running, swimming and cycling a bit,” she says.

On-the-road support… Suzanne (right) and Maree Butler after an early morning cycle Suzanne and David are combining the She also competes in the Takapuna Beach Series in the summer and, with her trip to Chicago with a holiday.

“We are going up the West Coast beforesister Maree, has competed in many team hand. she says. triathlons.

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The DevonporT evonport FlagsTaFF lagstaff p Page 38

August 21, 2015

Belmont players star in Westlake national squash win

Squash players overcome snow, as well as opponents, to bring cup home Fresh from winning the New Zealand secondary schools squash title, the Westlake Boys side faced a further battle on the way home.

The team – Gabe Yam, Zonal Ali, David Matthews, Rafa Yam (captain) , Stuart Martin (co-captain) and Matthew Lucente – was trapped in snow on the Desert Rd on the way

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home from the champs in Palmerston North.

Gabe, Rafa and Matthew all play out of Belmont Park Racquets Club.

The team was seeded second going into the championships, but beat top seed, Tauranga Boys in a tense final. Matthew Lucente starred for Westlake, taking a must-win final match against higher-ranked Alex Revington.

Rafa Yam was selected in the New Zealand secondary schools team in what has been a top year for the Belmont players. He won the under-17 title in the North Island champs recently, while his cousin Gabe won the under-15 title.

Great under pressure…

Matthew Lucente from Belmont Park

The he DevonporT evonport FlagsTaFF lagstaff p Page age 39

August ugust 21, 2015

Draw leaves North Shore clinging to second place on the table

On attack… North Shore United’s Jamie Shields (at left) taking on the Takapuna defence last Sunday North Shore United’s North Division One title hopes took a dent last Sunday with a 1-1 draw against Takapuna at Allen Hill Stadium.

Top of the table Forest Hill Milford helped North Shore’s promotion hopes however, thrashing third-placed Hibiscus Coast 6-1.

Ω

Tauranga City, another promotion rival, also lost last weekend.

Shore dominated the early play on Sunday with Marcel Nolde scoring a smart goal lobbing over the keeper. However Takapuna equalised and the match remained dead-

locked.

Shore have a game in hand and four games to play.

It plays Forest Hill away this Saturday (August 22) – a must-win match if it wants to take the title for 2015.

We are excited to announce that Clive Standen, one of New Zealand’s most experienced and respected Osteopaths has joined Julia and the team at Devonport Osteopathy Clive has extensive experience across a range of osteopathic disciplines with a particular interest in treatment of paediatric conditions at one end of the age spectrum and helping older patients maintain mobility and independence at the other end. In addition to practice as an osteopath, Clive has been instrumental in the development of osteopathy in the UK and New Zealand through senior directorial positions at the British School of Osteopathy and here in New Zealand as head of department and director of Osteopathic and Health Services at Unitec in Auckland.

Clive is running clinics every Monday and Thursday

The clinic is open Monday to Saturday including early morning and late evening Telephone 445 6783

19 Clarence St, Devonport

The Devonport Flagstaff Page 40

August 21, 2015

FINAL WEEK

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GRANT SPEEDY 0274 511 800 GrantSpeedy@premium.co.nz DEVONPORT: 445 3414 PREMIUM REAL ESTATE LTD LICENSED REAA 2008

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