devonportflagstaff.co.nz
Old-schOOl extra-mile service and tip-tOp results, time after time Helen Michell 021 210 3228
a lt O G e t h e r B e t t e r
December 17, 2021
Licensed under the reA Act 2008
Parking axed in Bayswater bike-lane plan... p5
Primary school loses important duo ... p8
Tree believers! Pop-ups a sign of the season… p52-53
Myrtle rust is spreading on the Devonport peninsula, endangering hundreds of pohutu– kawa, many of which are protected trees. Restoring Takarunga Hauraki coordinator Lance Cablk said he had received multiple reports of the disease on fast-growing lilly pilly (eugenia ventenatii) hedges, which are
commonly used in Devonport gardens for privacy. “I’ve had dozens of reports and I’ve seen it on many myself,” Cablk said. Myrtle rust is a fungal disease that affects myrtle species and is now widely found in the North Island and in some areas of the
South Island. The first visible symptoms are powdery, bright-yellow or orange-yellow spots that develop on leaves, tips and stems of plants. It affects a number of natives including pohutukawa, rata and manuka. Gardener Katrin Prendergast, from Glorious To page 7
Myrtle rust threatens Devonport pohutukawa
Christmas joy in 2021 – at arm’s length
From a distance... (from left) Malcolm, Lisette, Harvey and a high-fiving Michael Knight were among locals who met a mask-wearing Santa after his peninsula ‘roadie’. More photos, pages 10-13.
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. We’re available over the break should you need Real Estate advice. Devonport Licensed REAA 2008
matt.hunt@harcourts.co.nz