The Fringe, Issue 242, November 2024
Village icon celebrates important anniversary .. 4
Restoration Ruatuna; Elder abuse support
& About in the West;
Delivered free to letter boxes, post boxes, libraries and selected outlets throughout Tītīrangi, Glen Eden, Green Bay, New Lynn, Konini, Wood Bay, French Bay, Waima, Woodlands Park, Laingholm, Parau, Cornwallis, Huia, Oratia, and beyond.
Published by Fringe Media Ltd, PO Box 60-469, Tītīrangi, Auckland 0642
Editor: Bevis England 817 8024, 027 494 0700 bevis@fringemedia.co.nz
Advertising: info@fringemedia.co.nz
Writers and contributors: Moira Kennedy, David Thiele, Naomi McCleary, Fiona Drummond, Jade Reidy, John Goudge, Karen McCarthy, Kerry Lee December
Every issue of The Fringe (and the Tītīrangi Tatler before it) since April 2011 is on-line at www.fringemedia.co.nz. Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FringeWest) to hear when each issue is available and get other updates.
More traffic disruption ...
Auckland Council has granted Watercare consent for the spoil from construction of its new water treatment plant in Waima to be dumped at its existing sludge site in Parau, off Exhibition Drive.
This will require 30 to 40 truckloads of spoil to be moved every day. The trucks will be travelling on suburban roads from near the top of Woodlands Park Road to the junction of Huia Road and Exhibition Drive, passing a primary school, two play centres, two popular dairies, a popular local park and the premises of Ken Turner Motors. The proposed route has many sharp bends, two tight roundabouts and a number of Auckland’s infamous raised crossings. It is also extremely unstable as the storms of early last year demonstrated.
That most of the damage from those storms remains to be repaired, almost two years on, is a major concern for local residents. Traffic noise and heavy truck vibrations from the spoil movement adds to this concern.
Megan Fitter, chair of the Tītīrangi Protection Group notes that the project will actually involve 80 truck movements a day as they return empty. “We remain concerned about the scale of the works for this project,” she says.
What do you think? Email info@fringemedia.co.nz.
On our cover ...
The unique formations of ‘megapillow’ lava flows at Muriwai are millions of years old and are now listed among the world’s 200 most significant geological sites by the International Union of Geological Sciences. From the beach at Maukatia Bay, visitors can see giant fans of lava pillows stretching 20 metres high and 30 metres wide, across the main cliff face. Each fan provides a crosssectional view of the pillows themselves and also the vent or feeder tube that once supplied fresh lava to the pillows.
Muriwai’s examples have earned the title of megapillows, due to their impressive size and they are extremely rare. The site is one of around 250 geological sites in the region that are scheduled for protection in the Auckland Unitary Plan.
Local artist Naomi Azoulay's painting Yaffa was selected as a finalist in the prestigious Upstairs Gallery Emerging Artist Award last month. Yaffa is a portrait of Nawal Arafat and Rachel Hagigi, two justice activists from Jaffa (known as Yaffa in Arabic), one Palestinian and one Israeli, united in their commitment to peace and justice.
“I wanted to capture not just the personal struggles of these women but also the broader story of collaborative activism that transcends borders and conflict,” says Naomi. “I hope to elevate their voices and remind us of the possibility of unity and hope, even in the face of immense pain.”
Village icon celebrates important anniversary
November 2024 is the tenth anniversary of the reopening of the Lopdell Arts Precinct. TERRY BATES, Chair of the Lopdell House Board recounts the Precinct’s history.
Lopdell Trust, which manages the Precinct’s facilities on behalf of Auckland Council, is pleased to mark this significant anniversary, in a celebratory collaboration with the Te Uru Regional Gallery. The Trust is key sponsor of the Gretchen Albrecht retrospective, Liquid States which opens at Te Uru this month.
As many local residents know, the heritage buildings in the Precinct (Lopdell House and the Treasure House) have a chequered history. The Treasure House, which opened in 1927, was first built as a local museum to house a collection of kauri gum and Māori artefacts (much of which now resides in the national museum – Te
Papa). Lopdell House, in its distinctive Spanish Mission style, opened as Hotel Titirangi in 1930.
The hotel was not a commercial success and was subsequently purchased by the Department of Education. By the 1940s it had become a residential school for deaf children and in the 1960s, when the school moved to a site in Kelston, the building became a teacher in-service training facility. During its time in the ownership of the Department of Education the building suffered some additions that rather detracted from the elegance of the original building. These were removed as part of the restoration so the hotel’s original roof terrace, with its magnificent views over the Manukau Harbour, is once again available to the public.
In the early 1980s the buildings were purchased by the then Waitākere City Council and various community arts groups occupied Lopdell House in what were fairly makeshift facilities.
Over the ensuing 20 years it became evident that the buildings were in need of substantial strengthening and renovation. Lopdell Trust was formed in partnership with the council to coordinate the planning and fund-raising required to strengthen and redevelop the buildings (which by now had a category 1 heritage listing) as a publicly owned creative and performing arts centre.
It took the Trust more than a decade to raise a sum in excess of $20 million to complete the redevelopment, which was made the more challenging by early advice from
Lopdell House’s restoration was much more than a cosmetic makeover ...
architects, Mitchell and Stout, that Lopdell House was really not suitable for an international grade art gallery. Hence the decision to add a new building to the Precinct – what we now know as Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery.
However, the decision to build a stand-alone art gallery also opened opportunities to re-purpose Lopdell House with the conversion of a substantial part of the original Hotel Titirangi to commercial purposes. Thus, the presence of Deco restaurant on the ground floor and the professional offices on Level 2 provide an income stream that substantially offsets operating costs that would otherwise fall to the ratepayers of Auckland. Anchor arts tenants in the Precinct are Te Uru, the Upstairs Gallery and Tītīrangi Theatre which shares its space with the popular Flicks Cinema (and other events).
The redevelopment was made possible through the generosity of a range of funders including Auckland City, The Trusts Charitable Foundation, Foundation North and Lotteries NZ. The trustees took considerable pride at the reopening in 2014, not only at the standard of the heritage redevelopment and the new building, both of which won architectural awards, but also being able to transfer ownership of the Precinct to the people of Auckland debtfree. In more recent years the Trust has been successful in also having Te Uru listed as a category 1 heritage building – a rare accolade for a contemporary structure and testament to its outstanding design.
Ten years in, the challenges are ongoing. The heritage buildings and Te Uru are inherently demanding facilities to maintain. Heavy inflation pressures in the building and construction industry over the past decade have compounded those challenges. However, the Trust’s financial prudence and the many pro bono hours the multidisciplinary group of trustees give to the enterprise, ensure that the Trust is wellplaced to meet these challenges. The Auckland community is well-served by this dedicated group of volunteers.
As part of the Lopdell Precinct’s 10th anniversary, local business leaders Margaret Walsh, Mike Carter and other members of the Lopdell Trust organised a gathering for Tītīrangi business owners in Lopdell House’s seminar room.
Although the major objective was to get local business people together and introduce the facilities available in Lopdell House, there was also strong interest in restarting a Tītīrangi business association. In previous years, Tītīrangi businesses, working together, have been able to accomplish a lot in the Village and it is hoped that many more improvements can be made in the future.
“The aim is for us to come together as businesses to better the community that we rely on so much,” says local proponent of the idea, Ben Eddy.
Any Tītīrangi business owner can get involved by reaching out to Ben Eddy at travellingkiwi995@hotmail.com.
JACKIE
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Restoration Ruatuna, the Laingholm-based environmental restoration group is running its annual Tea Towel fund-raising campaign. The artwork for this year’s tea towel was donated by local artist Morgana. The tea towels are $20 each or $30 for two. To order email restorationruatuna@gmail.com or text 027 424 0949.
Elder Abuse Support Service Available
Visionwest Community Trust in Glen Eden has a new service to help older Māori and Pasifika people who may be experiencing elder abuse.
Mana Tiaki aims to provide support to those who are experiencing, or at risk of, abuse, mistreatment or neglect.
For more information phone 0800 990 026.
Love the place you Live
Nominations for the 2024 Love Your Place Awards will be open until November 17.
The biennial awards recognise and celebrate volunteers, groups, businesses and schools making a difference for the environment across the Board’s area, from Whatipū, Glen Eden and Tītīrangi in the south to Waitākere, Swanson and Te Henga in the north.
For more information and nomination forms, visit https:// www.ecomatters.org.nz/2024-love-your-place-awards/
Our firm is excited to announce our new name of Tōtara Law formerly Thomas & Co Lawyers, incorporating David J Brown and Associates and Tītīrangi Law Office.
Our new name reflects our growth and evolution over the years and we are incredibly proud to continue to be a staple of the West Auckland law community.
We are privileged to have the team that we do and to have you – our clients, families, friends and colleagues to work for and work with.
Our team, location and contact details will remain unchanged.
Thank you for your continued trust and support.
John Gandy and Michael Richardson Directors
Keeping law local
09 827 5907 | www.totaralaw.co.nz
2nd Floor, 3 Totara Ave, New Lynn DX Box DP95036
Places to go – Things to do
Out and About in the West
Event organisers: Do you have an upcoming event you’d like listed in The Fringe? Send the details, including a contact person and number, to info@fringemedia.co.nz.
Readers: While we take care to ensure listings are correct, errors may occur. Check with the contact person if possible, especially over the festive and holiday season
November
w – 10, From Elsewhere, works and installations by Newell Harry and Peter Simpson; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8087.
w – 10, Far Horizons, photographs by John Scott from a 40-year personal odyssey to explore some of the world's amazing spaces; Upstairs Gallery. Level one, Lopdell House, 418 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 09 817 4278.
w – 23, Diamond – Circle – Rectangle, ceramic and clay works by Georgia Arnold from her residency at Driving Creek, Coromandel; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson. Phone 838 4455.
w – 23, Blue Nylon, works by Bena Jackson and Max Fleury; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson. Phone 838 4455.
w 1, Join Nikki Perry and Kirsty Roby for the launch of their latest book; Tītīrangi Library, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 11am-12pm. Phone 817 0011.
w 2, Glen Eden Recreation Centre Open Day with local community clubs and organisations introducing themselves and their activities; 44 Glendale Road, Glen Eden; 11 am -2 pm. Phone Lynn Brown on 021 193 4399.
w 2 – 1 December, Incandescent Earth, oil paintings by Zeke Wolf; West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha; Thursday/Friday 10am-3pm, Saturday/ Sunday 10am-4pm. Phone 09 812 8029 www.westcoast.co.nz.
w 2 – February 2, Liquid States, paintings by Gretchen Albrecht; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8087.
w 3, Friends of Whatipū present Hochstetter’s Auckland Diary , a talk by Bruce Haywood. Bring you lunch, tea/coffee provided; The Green Shed, Whatipū camp ground; 11am. Phone Lindy Harvey 022 135 9330.
w 3, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732.
w 22 – February 23, Portage Ceramic Awards 2024; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8087.
w 9, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents Bob McNeill and Emily Roughton; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 8pm; $15, members $10, under 18 free. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text 021 207 7289.
w 16, New Lynn Lions Club $1 Book Sale; New Lynn Friendship Club Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn (down the driveway by the traffic lights); 8am-4pm. Contact Mary Hibberd on 027 487 0639.
w 16 – December 1, Currents 2024, the Te Uru Secondary School Art Awards; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8087.
w 17, Advent Fair; Tītīrangi Rudolf Steiner School, 5 Helios Place, Tītīrangi; 10am-3pm Shuttles available from Tītīrangi War Memorial Hall, Tangiwai Reserve or Kaurilands School.
w 20, Flicks presents Singin’ in the rain (G), 1952. Classic movie night starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds; Lopdell House Theatre, 418 Tītīrangi Road; 7.30pm; $15 and $12. Text bookings to 0210 222 5558.
w 21, Waitākere Forest and Bird presents Stocking the eDNA library for freshwater invertebrates with Ruby Moore, freshwater ecologist at Auckland Museum; Ranui Community Centre, 474 Swanson Road, Ranui; 7.30pm; koha. Phone Liz 027 476 2732 or email lizanstey@hotmail.com,
w 22, New Zealand Blood is holding a blood drive at Blockhouse Bay; Blockhouse Bay Community Centre, 524 Blockhouse Bay Road, Blockhouse Bay; 9am-1.50pm. www.nzblood.co.nz.
w 22, Flicks presents Mr Blake at your service (M), romance/comedy, France, 100m; Lopdell House Theatre, 418 Tītīrangi Road; 10.30am, 6pm, 8.15pm; $15 and $12. Text bookings to 0210 222 5558.
w 23, Learn about the Regional Pest Management Plan, talk to a representative from Environmental Services and submit feedback; Tītīrangi Library, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 10am-2pm. Phone 817 0011.
w 24, Tītīrangi Village Market: art, craft, produce and music; Tītīrangi War Memorial Hall; 10am-2pm. Contact tvm.manager@gmail.com or phone 022 631 9436.
w 26, Tītīrangi U3A – informal learning for people 50-years plus; West Lynn Garden, 73 Parker Avenue, New Lynn; 1pm. Contact Jan George, 027 478 4119 or jan@jangeorge.co.nz. www.u3a.nz.
w 29, Flicks presents The taste of things (PG-13), 2023, 2h 25m, drama/ romance/history; Lopdell House Theatre, 418 Tītīrangi Road; 10.30am, 5.30pm, 8.15pm; $15 and $12. Text bookings to 0210 222 5558.
Places to go – Things to do
Don't miss Open Studios Waitākere 2024: discover over 40 open studios where magic and creativity burst to life in the Waitākere Ranges!
The vibrant and diverse art scene in the Waitākeres is yet to come alive once again on Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24 as Open Studios Waitākere returns. This celebration of art in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area offers art enthusiasts and the curious, an opportunity to explore artists’ workspaces, offering a glimpse into the creative process.
Among the many talented artists participating in this year’s event is Anieszka Banks, a freelance mixed media illustrator and maker based in Karekare. Anieszka focuses her practice on the idea of using illustration to illuminate or throw light on what is in the dark.
Anieszka works across many mediums including acrylics, paper cutting, collage, photography and drawing. In the last five years her practice has expanded beyond illustration and into handmade sculpted beeswax candles and crayons. Her personal interests lie around environmental and social issues, and the artist’s societal responsibility to respond to them. Details about all the artists participating in Open Studios are available on the event website and in brochures available from local cafés, libraries and community centres. openstudioswaitakere.co.nz/
w 29, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents Friday Folk; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 7.30pm; $5. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289.
w 30, Pre-loved toy market with second-hand toys, puzzles, and books; Tītīrangi Community House, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 10am-1pm. Stalls available ($15). Contact admin@titirangihouse.co.nz.
w 30, German Christmas Market with fun for the whole family; The Crossing Community Centre, 30 Kaurilands Road, Tītīrangi; 3-8pm. Phone Katrin Staugaard 021 403 792.
There is so much happening in and around our community, including many regular events, that we can’t fit everything into these listings. If you can’t see the event you’re interested in, visit: www.fringemedia.co.nz/ourplace
The Wind from the West
It has come to my attention that this month signals the 10th anniversary of Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery. (See pages 6-7.) What a brilliant saga this has been; and one that I have been able to bear witness to from the beginning.
In short, Te Uru and the beautifully refurbished Lopdell House is a gift that has been born out of passion and determination. And here I get on my bandwagon: there was no ‘needs assessment’; it was not part of any wider policy; it did not tick all the boxes. But it was positioned at the gateway to the West Coast; a captive moment for tourists to be enticed to stop, a place of pride for locals and Aucklanders. Waitākere City under Mayor Bob Harvey understood that opportunistic projects have their own life, and rationale, and, in this case, by the time amalgamation was upon us it was too late to back off. Hallelujah!
I take my hat off to, then Councillor, Ross Clow. He was tenacious. The building, designed by Julie Stout and Dave Mitchell, is stunning and its impact will not diminish over time. The only compromise I’m aware of is that the planned copper sheathing, that would have randomly patinated over time, had to be replaced with slightly blander, copper-like façade panels. Apart from cost, the copper would have leached into surrounding soils and waterways. Enough said.
The two exhibitions showing at the moment are iconic.
The Portage Ceramic Awards are an annual, not to be missed, event. I write about them every year, enthusiastically pushing for visitation from all and sundry. It is such an accessible experience. Not because the works fit the general idea of what ceramics are about – domestic ware and
the cutting edge of where ceramics are in Aotearoa. How lucky we are that this turns up on our doorstep every year.
For many years the judge was an international invitee. That was great; one got to hear the musings of global art celebrities; sometimes profound, occasionally not! But Covid knocked us out of shape and we came home to a series of great New Zealand judges. This year it is Kate Newby who has established a global reputation as one of Aotearoa’s most exciting artists working within the field of expanded ceramics. In 2012 Kate was awarded the Walters Prize, Aotearoa’s première contemporary art award, and her work has been exhibited all around the world.
I cannot better Kate’s words, from her personal statement: Clay is in my roots. As a child, I drank Milo from a Barry Brickell mug, ate dinner off a Chester Nealie plate, and helped my father fire a Warren Tippett kiln. Embedded in my formative years are visits to pottery exhibitions and potteries to view the works of local potters. Now, 35 years later, my journey has brought me full circle. Being invited to judge the prestigious Portage Ceramic Awards is a huge honour. I never cease to be astounded by the versatility and joy of clay: how its qualities are made manifest in practical applications such as cups, floors, and rooftops, as well as through abstract and instantaneous expressions. I eagerly await the opportunity to witness and celebrate the innovative ways in which artists embrace the power of clay in their work.”
As often repeated, there are never more than two degrees of separation across this motu. My first intense experience
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Golden Sky, by Gretchen Albrecht.
the time she lived in Tītīrangi in the 1960s and 70s. Those visits to the Steiners gifted me a real love of her work.
A significant exhibition of paintings, coinciding with the 10th anniversary, is timely. Liquid States is a major survey of work produced in the 1970s and 80s.
Albrecht is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s pre-eminent painters. Over a seven-decade career she has pursued a path of beautiful abstraction often imbued with landscape references. From 1970, she began to use thinned acrylic rather than oil on canvas, which allowed her to paint more freely, and unprimed canvases that allowed the pigment to soak into the raw fabric, mimicking the watercolour work she enjoyed. In 1992 Albrecht described the importance of the curved form in her work, describing it as having 'a sensuousness and a female-relatedness that I can't describe in any other way.’ I’m anticipating with some excitement viewing Liquid States on the walls of Te Uru. Her huge, gestural swathes of intense saturated colour will be a celebration in their own right.
This Exhibition was made possible with the support of the Te Uru Benefactors Collective (TBC), Lopdell Trust and Two Rooms gallery.
Impacted by the 2023 floods?
You are not alone, help is here.
Slow Press! (As befits a slow burner)
On a recent Sunday afternoon the Going West Trust and Heritage New Zealand (HNZ), plus friends and supporters, gathered at the home of the late, great Maurice Shadbolt to celebrate its recent category 1 listing as a site of cultural significance. The mana implicit in this listing is huge. While it may assist in releasing funding, it more importantly provides confirmation that the work of the trust, supported by the Waitākere Ranges Local Board, is recognised and valued.
Project manager Tracey Sharp says: The listing is a significant milestone for the trust and is a great boon for West Auckland and beyond. Sunday’s event was a moment to honour those who have kept the vision of building on Shadbolt’s literary legacy through a vibrant writers' residency. It was also a moment to recognise how special and important this space – 'fringed by mangroves, wreathed in rainforest’ – will be for future writers and the literary community.
Visionwest is offering up to ten free and confidential counselling sessions for those impacted by the 2023 Auckland weather events.
Following the 2023 weather events, many West Aucklanders are still grappling with some tough emotions. If you are one of them, here’s your opportunity to talk to someone.
You’ll receive:
• Professional Counselling
• Individualised Support
• Support for the whole family
We are situated at 97 Glendale Road, Glen Eden. To schedule an appointment or for more information, contact:
0800 227 343 counselling@visionwest.org.nz visionwest.org.nz /wellbeing
Nic Jackson (HNZ deputy chief executive, Bob Harvey, Martin Jones (HNZ senior heritage advisor), Antony Phillips (HNZ heritage outreach advisor) and Naomi McCleary (chair of the Going West Trust) are pictured celebrating the recent listing of Maurice Shadbolt’s home in Tītīrangi.
Dedication, loyalty, skill, and good humour leads to awards
Attention to detail. Local man Barry Schubert reckons that’s been the focus of his career which saw him receive two Civil Staff Recognition of Service Awards from the Royal New Zealand Defence Force (RNZDF).
Barry says attention to detail was instilled in him soon after leaving school and joining Air New Zealand as an apprentice aircraft engineer. Young Barry didn’t plan a career in aviation. “It just happened,” he says. “My father was a carpenter and when it came time for me to leave school, he asked me what I was going to do. I didn’t know. My father said I was no bloody good with wood so that ruled out carpentry. So I put in applications for the Army, Air Force, Police and Air New Zealand. I got accepted for all of them.
“I drew straws and Air New Zealand won.”
The group of young apprentices quickly learned attention to detail and safety were essential. Barry says his group also learned to live on “three-fifths of nothing” but soon discovered there was money to be made going up to Fiji (flights provided) and making a few dollars reselling duty
free goods when they got home.
“We’d go up there, do some shopping, party that night and go back to work the day after. We made enough to subsidise our living costs for the next month.
“When you join [an organisation] as a group you become a team. You’re close knit, have good fun – and some bad times – and keep in touch. We were all male. It was another 15 years before we saw our first female on the team. We treated the women the way we wanted to be treated. With due respect.”
Post apprenticeship, Barry started his career working on Lockheed Electra and DC8 engines. Still with Air New Zealand, he moved to its new engine shop at Mangere, working on engines for DC10s and B747s.
Barry had never been in an aeroplane before joining Air New Zealand and wasn’t interested in becoming a pilot. His first flight was a test flight on a Grumman G-44 Widgeon seaplane
“We’d done a full overhaul and took it up over the Manukau Harbour for a test flight. Everything went well and then the
Our ever-changing rubbish collection
I and five other Councillors voted against trailing a fortnight-only rubbish collection service.
West Auckland residents strongly prefer keeping the current weekly “pay as you throw” service. My own conversations with people and Council’s ‘Have Your Say’ public engagement show that less than 40% of ratepayers are in favour of having their rubbish collected fortnightly.
Of Auckland’s 21 local boards, only one fully supported fortnightly rubbish collections, while 17 did not, and three had qualified support.
Even a tiny test trial was arguably a failure. Ten larger family households (over 8 members) were chosen to have their rubbish collected fortnightly to see how they coped. Five families pulled out before the end of the trail. When asked why, staff simply said, “They didn’t want to continue.”
Yet, most councillors voted to delegate the authority to choose areas of Auckland for a trial fortnight-only rubbish collection service for a “limited time period” to the General Manager of Waste Solutions.
The lengthy resolution also delegates authority to set an amount of rates remission to affected properties.
Within the 479 pages of supporting information, there is a sentence suggesting a rate remission of between $10 and $30 per year. The information also explains that fewer than 40% of people are using food scraps bins.
And by reducing the general waste collection from weekly to fortnightly, it is hoped that people will be encouraged (forced) to use their food scraps bin.
But here’s the real kicker: Council anticipates this trial, which will collect rubbish from participants 50% less often, will cost an extra $1.4 to $1.7 million to conduct.
Our current ‘pay-as-you-throw’ collection service is the fairest and most appropriate way to encourage people to consider all aspects of waste production. Council staff claim that the evidence shows our “pay-as-you-throw” service is not significantly reducing waste. This just proves there are limits to how much waste can be reduced. Said differently, there is no such thing as ‘Zero Waste’.
Taking away the bins doesn’t magically reduce waste.
Rubbish collection is a core council service that underpins the hygiene supporting our modern city living. I will vote yes when our money goes to really tackle our growing needs, like constructing a waste-to-energy plant.
– Ken Turner, WestWards
Barry Schubert: dedicated to detail.
pilot told us to brace ourselves for landing on the water so we could pull up the floorboards up to check for leaks.
“My focus was the engines,” says Barry. “We were contracted to General Electric and had split engines packaged and ready to be transported quickly wherever they were needed. We’d go with them and put them together again to get stranded aircraft flying again. Time is of the essence in aviation.”
“They were busy times, most enjoyable. Ultimately we were doing work that was responsible for the lives of thousands of people. It was safety first all the way.”
After almost 39 years, Barry left Air New Zealand to help care for his elderly father-in-law. Then the Air Force called asking if he had experience with Rolls Royce engines.
“The Air Force used to send their Hercules aircraft to Mangere. I’d spent years working on them.” Next thing he had a job as maintenance planner Hercules/Boeing in the RNZAF.
They were memorable times but Barry says he doesn’t miss his career. “You move on.” But his attention to detail isn’t lost – he now uses it with volunteer work at the bar in Green Bay’s Pinesong Village where he lives. His apartment overlooks the Manukau Harbour with Auckland Airport part of his vista.
– Moira Kennedy
WHau Board workshops now open
Whau Local Board’s workshops will be open to the public from November.
Some of the city’s 21 boards already hold open workshops and Whau Local Board will now join them by inviting public to attend in-person at the Whau Local Board Office.
Chair Kay Thomas says that the decision has been taken in response to the Ombudsman’s Open for Business report, which recommends an open-by-default approach to workshops.
“We are opening our workshops to allow for extended visibility over our day-to-day processes for interested members of the public.
“These workshops are informal meetings where members discuss information and options before they go to the monthly business meetings for final decisions.
“There is no decision making at the workshops.
“However, attending our workshops may give context to the decisions that we make and provide a view of how we arrive at a decision.”
Any closed items will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Chair Thomas adds that while other boards invite public to attend online, the Whau Local Board office currently does not have the technology to enable digital attendance.
Workshops for Auckland Council’s Governing Body are also being made open to the public through the council’s website.
Auckland Council is starting to look at better ways to protect our environment in the future.
Much has changed since its last plans were developed, including recent weather events and growing concern over native species and ecosystems, Māori cultural values, and the safety and well being of our communities and natural habitats. The arrival of new threats such as myrtle rust, exotic caulerpa seaweed, and the freshwater gold clam are also a concern.
The ‘Let’s protect our environment’ consultation is now open at akhaveyoursay.co.nz.
Shop local this Christmas
Supporting local businesses keeps our community alive. And with a gift shop like Gecko in the heart of the Village, why would you want to do your Christmas shopping anywhere else? Gecko has a wide range of local and Kiwi inspired products for every gift buying budget. Visit them in Rangiwai Road.
The Fringe is glad to support local businesses in the lead up to Christmas. To be part of the December issue’s Christmas special, email info@fringemedia.co.nz or visit fringemedia. co.nz for more information.
Yeah gidday. Lizard here.
Wow. This year’s rolling by ... Life’s rolling by. I’m beginning to feel its effects.
I woke up the other morning and swung my feet out of bed. I got the big head spin and said to Shaz, “Man, I wish I hadn’t drunk so much.”
Shaz said that we hadn’t had a drink all week.
“Really? Oh.”
It’s like I wake up with an injury. I had a sore wrist yesterday and all I could think I’d done was stir a stew!
“I think I’ll take the dogs for a walk to clear my head.”
Plumbless Walkers’ still going strong and always up for a walk and we’re now looking after Whosagoodboy for Mopey Jesus while he’s at a Knit your protest workshop. They sew peggy squares into interesting clothing, often with a message. He sent me a photo of a cardigan he’s crocheting. Very colourful and probably warm and says on the back, God Made Me An Athiest. He’s a beaut.
Shaz asked me how long we’d be gone.
“The whole time,” I said.
Asks strange questions sometimes does our Shaz.
The other day I overheard her asking the kids if they had any plans to stare at their phones somewhere exciting this weekend? Okay, that was a bit sarky but quite funny.
She has a point, they do have their phones glued to their hands. Chardonella once rang me to remind me to get some ice cream on the way home.
We were sitting side by side in Whitevan at the time.
Eventually she found my phone in the glove box and handed it to me but by the time I’d listened to her message we were nearly home, so we missed the dairy.
I texted her a sad face. She gave me a look.
The dogs were having a good sniff‘n’piss while I was away with the fairies thinking about my newish mate Oz.
You probably remember me talking about him. Good bloke. Still lives in his tree house. They’re funny those Australians though aren’t they. They don’t really understand evolution. I
was talking to Oz the other day and he thought he came from Darwin!
Lizard Junior has his truck licence now.
He’s applied for a job with a crowd that have a contract with Watercare. He’s quite confident he’ll get it because he really knows his way through Woodlands Park. He was raised around there and even though they’ll be carting mud he’s shot through the roundabouts and flown over those raised crossings since he was a kid. He said if he gets the job he’ll put in a good word for me because they’ll need heaps of drivers to move forty truckloads a day. Counting the trucks empty return, that’s a truck every six minutes! Now that’s fast progress for ya.
I pointed out to Junior that I can’t drive trucks anymore because I need glasses. If I forget to bring them, which I often do, annoyingly on the odd times I ever need to read a menu, I have to order what I think they’ve got.
My eyesight can get me into a spot of bother as well. Get this. And I meant nothing. I thought a letter that came to us was for our Israeli neighbours so I took it over to them. I knocked on the door and when he opened it, I handed it to him.
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” he yelled and threw the envelope back at me. When I got home, put on my glasses and read the envelope properly, it said To the Occupier Whoops.
The dogs and me had quite the adventure. It’s one of life’s great pleasures wandering along the road with a couple of nice dogs on a breezy sunny day. Tomorrow we might even brave a swim.
“Whatcha say boys?”
They both wagged their tails.
I bet if Donald Trump was asked, “If you could have any super power in the world. What would it be?” he’d say “Russia.”
Later, Lizard.
BYE-BYE BIN TAGS
Waitākere, remember to use up your bin tags by 1 December. After that, just roll your bin to the kerbside. Easy as.
Altogether Easier. Altogether Auckland. Search bin tags