community news, issues, arts, people, events ISSUE 259, JUNE 2026 community news, issues, arts, people, events
The Fringe, Issue 259, June 2026
Delivered free to letter boxes, post boxes, libraries and selected outlets throughout Tītīrangi, Glen Eden, Kelston, 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, Azzurra Snelgrove-Douch, Anna Crichton.
Why does this dotterel, photographed
Simon Runting, appear to be jumping for joy? See page 4.
Her
with an old fashioned dip pen and coloured inks on archival paper and if anyone is interested in purchasing the originals email Anna at illustrator@annacrichton.com. You can see more of her work and projects at www.annacrichton.com. 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 facilitates cartoon workshops for children and the
Anna Crichton is a multi-award winning cartoonist, illustrator and ceramicist. She has drawn for The New York Times, The Wall St Journal, The Australian, Time Magazine, The NZ Herald and many more. Anna is a long time resident of Tītīrangi, who has led many creative public projects around West Auckland. She has created works with wood block carvers and embroiderers in India,
inmates of Mt Eden prison.
cartoons are hand drawn
Anna's View
"Waste is why businesses fail"
A third of all food produced globally gets wasted – bad for people and the environment but equally bad for business. A new Kiwi survey set out to understand what our businesses are doing and how they could do better. JADE REIDY reports.
Kai Commitment surveyed 67 food businesses nationwide. The findings show that most of their waste is preventable and that there is an untapped performance opportunity. Businesses could be both more productive and sustainable, if they rethink how they approach food waste.
Aussie Butcher New Lynn owner Reuben Sharples agrees, especially with preventing waste through a focus on what businesses can control.
“I often get asked by pet charities for offcuts, etc. and it’s hard for them to understand that we just don’t have waste,” he says. “Waste is why businesses fail.”
Meat is the highest risk food category for consumer safety. Reuben says that, aside from meticulous planning, he has clear pathways for any unforeseen surplus.
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“That can range from freezing to repurposing or working with organisations like Fair Food in Avondale. Those actions are not about clearing waste, it’s about making sure good product is still creating value.”
Almost 60 percent of businesses surveyed partner with food rescue hubs. Manager of Fair Food, Michelle Blau, says businesses need to give much more thought to lifecycle costs, as packaging is a burden.
"We are thrilled to get so much good food. We've shared more than 50,000 loaves of bread and 30,000 litres of milk or dairy this year. We're currently giving away 800 meat packs a day that were saved on their best before date, but we have to pay for all the soft plastic recycling when we compost salads, and all the waste from non-recyclable plastic containers like small yoghurt pottles,” she explains. “Spending a day at our kai tables is very motivating for a circular economy."
In recent years, a movement called Nude Food saw some supermarkets and meat retailers trial no-packaged foods but the experiment has not gained traction, largely due to safety concerns.
The real opportunity today, says Reuben, is in the focus. “It isn’t just more conversation – it’s more businesses tightening up their operations and treating waste as a performance metric, not a by-product.”
Kai Commitment is part of a global network of organisations focused on reducing food waste. Its resources include a Best Practice Business Actions toolkit. For more detail and the full survey report, see kaicommitment.org.nz
A conservation success story
A small sand-coloured bird racing along the tide lines of Auckland’s west coast is becoming a conservation success – and locals are helping write the next chapter.
Dotterel minding groups have spent countless hours trapping predators, fencing nests, banding and monitoring chicks and educating beach-goers. However, despite increasing the breeding success rate from around .5 per couple to 2 chicks per couple in the 2025-26 season, the local dotterel population is not increasing by much.
New research suggests that chicks don't settle to breed at their ‘home beach’. While some move only a few kilometres along the coast, many travel much longer distances. One chick banded at Te Henga is now breeding in Taranaki, more than 300 kilometres away. Others have been seen at Port Waikato, the Kaipara Harbour and on Auckland's east coast.
This shows that local dotterel minding groups are not just maintaining the local dotterel population, they are also helping to repopulate other areas.
Reuben Sharples (right) making a delivery to Fair Food.
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Art & About with Naomi McCLeary
Booked Out!
There is very little that compares with holding a beautifully crafted book. Maurice Shadbolt, faced with an ancient illuminated manuscript, talked about his place in ‘the tradition of the book’.
Amongst the welter of paperbacks out there, there seems to be more and more examples of books that are beautiful in the hand. Perhaps a harking back to the nostalgia of the pre-paperback world? But it is in the act of curling up with a book that magic happens. All the online stuff has its place, but the intimacy between a reader and the story is what we cherish. And here's a shout-out to our wonderful libraries and librarians who truly democratise the joy of reading.
For those of us who still have an acquisitive gene (guilty as charged), there are some interesting developments in the online book buying world.
Here is what I’ve learned: BookHub is a platform that will tell you in an instant whether the title or author you seek is available. It will list all the book shops nationally with copies in stock and the cost. Over the past 12 months, one source, Book Hero, kept coming up with the lowest prices; even the latest publications between $5 to $10 cheaper than anywhere else. So, no brainer, I became a customer. It’s an interesting ‘westie’ story.
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Book Hero is based in Hobsonville; set up by three young, tech-savvy nerds who also believe in, and love, the power of reading. In 18 months it seems to have gone from a slightly chaotic online business to a highly efficient and fast growing venture with a shop in Hobsonville and a rapidly growing inventory of all things related to reading and literacy.
Founder/Director, and Westie, Dylan Bland describes it thus: We're not a chain store or big box retailer! We're a small group of passionate and creative friends who've come together to create a new way for Kiwis to buy books in an online environment.
Its website is information-rich, but, in short, it holds vast amounts of stock, and is expanding into board games, puzzles and other word-based goodies.
For me; I order, I pay, and always within 48 hours, my chosen book is in my letterbox (well-packaged) and promising delight.
Book of the Month:
I was not long into Tracy Farr’s novel Wonderland when a quote from Ezra Pound came to mind: Music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance - - - poetry begins to atrophy when it gets too far from music.
In this mesmerising story, words dance across the page; it is a soundscape, a poem; I could see it, hear it, smell it, somehow know it, all the while falling in love with each and every character. The literary flourishes do not impede in any sense this gripping tale, which drags you forward in the best possible way.
Among all the variations of literary genre out there (memoir, autofiction, creative non-fiction, etc.) there is that long tradition of inserting real historic figures into fictional narratives; brilliantly done more recently by Alison Macleod, (Tenderness) and Richard Flanagan (Question 7). In Wonderland the conceit is that Nobel prize-winner Marie Curie ended up in Wellington in 1912, ravaged by ill-health and despair; taken in and healed by a family of wondrous eccentricity. It fits neatly into the known history; that after the tragic loss of her husband Pierre in 1906, and in the somewhat stultifying community of European scientists, she had an affair with a married Belgian scientist, and was cruelly ostracised by that same community as a woman of ill-repute. Grrrr! Of course, she never came to New Zealand, but this magical story sits comfortably within that narrative.
This is without doubt my favourite novel from 2025.
Our Visionary:
There are many artists who, over decades, turn out work of depth and beauty. Their names so often don’t make the headlines. Tītīrangi artist Beth Serjeant is one such; a lifetime of producing prints and lithographs; more particularly illustrating the words of some of our iconic poets. For me, the pinnacle of this work is her 1987/8 The Visionary; a
very limited edition, handmade book with stunning lithographic images on the finest, flax and linen, handpulled paper, each one partnered by a poem, so that text and ink tango as one. Fifty lovingly crafted copies exist.
Art &
I own a very precious edition of The Visionary, and here is the dilemma; it sits on my bookcase, occasionally shared, but mostly a hidden jewel. There is one copy in the Auckland Museum Library; not exactly easy access!
The artist book-making fraternity is a small and very special cohort. They celebrate a heritage that harks back centuries. The skills needed to bring an art book to fruition are multitude. In the case of The Visionary, the text was hand-set by printer John Denny, and the images produced by Beth in Joan Taylor’s lithographic studio. Beth, along with others of her era, is known internationally, but relatively unknown here, despite a lifetime of teaching and sharing her prodigious talent.
In partnership with Carlos Toalii of Upstairs Gallery, The Visionary will be ‘daylighted’ in the gallery from June 5 to July 12, alongside the paintings of Raewyn Curran and friends Cyndie Byron and Annette Mann. Don’t miss a visit; The Visionary is too precious and beautiful to remain hidden.
Another milestone event as part of the 30th anniversary of the Going West Writers Festival, is the launch, on June 1, of the Going West Festival archive on Kura, Auckland Libraries' heritage platform. Born of a long-term partnership with libraries, this will make 30 years of writerly discourse accessible in the form of audio recordings and some access to the photographs of Gil Hanly, Liz March and Marty Friedlander. If you are tech-savvy, go directly to Kura and enter Going West Writers Festival. A gentler path is to go to www.goingwestfest.co.nz where a celebratory video and podcast will lead the way.
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
Exhibitions
w – June 7, Jugs in New Zealand Painting, a series of Paul Maseyk’s jugs, modelled on those depicted in New Zealand paintings; The Arts House, Pah Homestead, 72A Hillsborough Road; Tuesday – Friday, 9am-3pm, Weekends 8am-4pm. Phone 639 2010.
w – June 7, In Kai a te Taniwha Kahurangiariki Smith illustrates the ancestral beings known as taniwha not as mythical curiosities but as living presences inhabiting the gallery space and playing a role in our daily lives; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 8087.
w – June 13, Carousel Horse, an exhibition by Te Whanganui-a-Tara artists Ben Lysaght and Rubetta Neal; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson; 10am-4.30pm daily. 838 4455, www.ceac.org.nz.
w – June 13, The Kinkeepers, Robyn Walton and Kirsty McNeil explore the “kinkeeper”, a term coined by sociologist Carolyn Rosenthal to describe the one who holds the family together; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson; 10am-4.30pm daily. 838 4455, www.ceac.org.nz.
w – June 13, Idle Window by Darryl Chin traces the private rituals of his digital life; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson; 10am-4.30pm daily. 838 4455, www.ceac.org.nz.
w – June 28, Evidence of Human Activity, oil paintings by Peter Force; West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha; Thu, Fri: 10am-3pm. Sat, Sun: 10am-4pm. Phone 09 812 8029 www.westcoast.co.nz.
w – August 16, Silent Kōrero, a quiet hui of conversations that have unfolded in Peata Larkin's studio; The Arts House, Pah Homestead, 72A Hillsborough Road; Tuesday – Friday, 9am-3pm, Weekends 8am-4pm. Phone 639 2010.
w June 11 – August 2, Re: Tale. Contemporary practitioners explore "retail" and "retelling" across different media; The Arts House, Pah Homestead, 72A Hillsborough Road; Tuesday – Friday, 9am-3pm, Weekends 8am-4pm. Phone 639 2010.
May 30, Celebrate New Zealand Music Month with Morristown, Dave Alley, Jan Elliott and Bevis England in concert; Workshop 26, 26 Donovan Street, Blockhouse Bay; 7pm; $25 on the door.
w 2 – 13, Tītīrangi Theatre presents A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt, directed by Paul Norell. Bookings at https://www.titirangitheatre.co.nz/.
w 6, West Lynn Garden Club. Learn new skills, meet new people, monthly speakers, day-trips; West Lynn Gardens, 73 Parker Ave, New Lynn; 9:3011:30am. Contact lynne.hunter@xtra.co.nz, 0210 245 5120.
w 7, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732.
w 10, Tītīrangi Wine & Food Society presents Man o’ War Wines; West Lynn Gardens, 73 Parker Ave, New Lynn; 7.30pm. Email twinefs@gmail.com.
w 12, West Auckland Men’s Rebus Club; Friendship Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn; 10am-12 noon. Phone Vince 021 189 6822.
w 12, Ladies’ Probus Club, fellowship; St John’s Hall, 247 Edmonton Road, Te Atatū South; 9:45am-12 noon. Phone Betty 09 832 0484.
w 13, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents Jean Reid and Railway Pie floorsingers in first half; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 8pm; $15, members $10, under 18 free. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz.
w 14 and 28, Waitematā Country Music Club club night; Glen Eden Community and Recreation Centre, 44 Glendale Road, Glen Eden; 7-10pm; $5. Phone Kathy 09 817 4994
w 15, Henderson Falls Combined Friendship Club; Henderson Bowling Clubrooms, 2/20 Alderman Drive, Henderson; 10am-12 noon. Contact Gwenda Elwood on 836 0445 or 027 664 7565.
w 17, Combined Waitākere Rebus Club; St John’s Hall, 247 Edmonton Road, Te Atatū South; 10am-12 noon. Contact Philis on 838 5361.
w 18, Waitākere Forest & Bird presents The Role of Predators in Ecosystems, a talk by Esteban Fuentes, a University of Auckland biologist; Ranui Community Centre 474 Swanson Rd, Ranui; 7.30 pm; koha appreciated. Phone Liz 027 476 2732 or email lizanstey@hotmail.com
w 20, New Lynn Lions Club $2 Book Sale: Books, Magazines, CDs, DVDs, LPs and jigsaw puzzles; 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 20, Glen Eden Community Market: car boot stalls, sausage sizzle and family-friendly entertainment; Glen Eden Community House, 13 Pisces Road, Glen Eden;10am-12pm. Phone 818 2194.
w 20, Come Dancing! Tītīrangi Folk Music Club is running a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee), a gathering with the emphasis on fun and traditional dancing (beginners welcome); Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 7.30; $15, under 18 free. https://www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz/
w 23, Tītīrangi Library invites you to celebrate Matariki with a shared community soup (bring along a vegetable to add to the pot; Tītīrangi Community House, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 10.30am - 1.30pm. Register at compostcollective.org.nz.
w 23, Tītīrangi U3A – informal learning for people 50-years plus, guest speakers, study groups; West Lynn Garden, 73 Parker Avenue, New Lynn; 1pm. Contact Irene Pearcey ipearceyu3a@gmail.com. www.u3a.nz.
w 26, Glen Eden Combined Probus Club; Glen Eden Recreation and Community Centre, 44 Glendale Road; 9:45am. Phone Brian Holt 838 5857.
w 26, Waitākere Grey Power Association Annual General Meeting with guest speaker, Tracey Martin, Chief Executive of the Aged Care Association; Te Atatū South Community Centre, 247 Edmonton Rd, Te Atatū South; 12.30pm. Phone 09 838 5207.
w 26, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents Friday Folk, an informal gathering of musicians, singers and listeners; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi
Places to go – Things to do
Beach Road; 7:30pm; $5. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz.
w 26, Open Mic Night, Great music from the West's best; Tītīrangi RSA, 502 South Tītīrangi Road; 8pm. Phone 817 6415.
w 27, Tītīrangi Library celebrates Matariki with a community artwork and other Matariki-themed activities; Arataki Visitor Centre, 300 Scenic Drive; 10-2pm. Phone 09 377 0209
w 27, New Lynn Repair Cafe organised and run by DEANZ; New Lynn Community Centre, Tōtara Avenue, New Lynn; 11am-2pm; Koha. Contact Kabir on mehsanul.nz@gmail.com.
w 28, Tītīrangi Village Market: art, craft, produce and music; Tītīrangi War Memorial Hall car park, 9am-2pm, and Titirangi RSA; 9am-1pm. Contact tvm.manager@gmail.com.
w 28, Poetry in the Whau: a workshop bringing together poetry, music and visual art, supported by Whau Local Board; New Lynn Community Centre, 45 Tōtara Avenue; 3-5pm; free. Phone Christian 027 238 8223.
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
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Featuring a versatile wool blend jacket from our winter arrivals
Bay Village (opposite the Library) Tues – Fri: 10am-5pm,
for families of Year 6 Students
Tuesday, 16 June 2026
6.00pm - 7.00pm
Come along and meet our Principal and talk to staff about why Bruce McLaren Intermediate School should be your school of choice for 2027. Meet in the school hall at 6.00pm. Tea / Coffee / Bites provided.
61-69 Bruce McLaren Road, Henderson, Auckland 0612 Phone: 836-3175 • email: admin@brucemclaren.school.nz
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Loving his work – although business is a challenge
Walking along the footpath by the shops in Green Bay, you are probably aware that about half way along you need to take a step to the left – or a step to the right – to avoid walking into a wall.
This is nothing to do with the Rocky Horror Show’s time warp but rather because one little shop pokes a couple of metres out into the footpath.
Historical data on this is vague but local legend has it that this was the first commercial building in what was originally farmland in the 1950s and into the '60s. Apparently there were a good number of horses grazing in the area and there may even have been a racetrack behind where the supermarket is now.
It’s thought the little store was an IGA selling foodstuffs and assorted paraphernalia until other shops were built along the strip of road. Retail had arrived in Green Bay and the powers-that-were realised that might involve parking so the new shops were built further back from the roadside leaving the little shop sticking out.
In the 1960s Frances Cowan bought the shop and turned it into a bookshop and then in the late 1970s it was taken over by Peggy and Len Higgins. By then, all sorts of bits and pieces were part of the shopping experience. That legacy continues.
Today it is the Green Bay Bookshop, an icon in the area and further afield, and arguably with the widest range of magazines and books in West Auckland, along with extraordinary and unrelated stuff lining the shelves.
The store has been owned and run by former IT guy David Bannister for the past 11 years. He fondly remembers going to the shop to buy comics when he was a little boy.
By then, toys and games had been added to the literary and stationery offerings, along with haberdashery, knitting needles, yarn, and arts and crafts supplies. The variety continues to grow and now expands into every conceivable space in the little shop. Stickers compete with Christmas
1 15/11/16 16:33
decorations and while it all seems to have just evolved, everything seems to slot in and it’s almost a surprise to hear that more than 100 local suppliers make their contribution here one way or another.
“We have some real characters among the shoppers and a good number of regulars. There are some very learned people who come in so there are some interesting conversations,” David says.
Cards of all sorts are the big sellers although not so many people actually send cards these days. Then again it might be a classic train set you’re after or even a cap gun. You’ll find them there but model aeroplanes are slow going. “That market has gone the way of the Internet and there’s no going back on that.”
While ornamental unicorns, bunny rabbits and flowers may be on offer, forget about explicit magazines or vapes. Not in this shop. And David doesn’t do tools and suchlike either as that’s the domain of his neighbour in the hardware store.
David’s slow to admit his shop windows are quite famous among locals who are amazed at the creativity that’s gone into them. “I don’t plan the windows ahead but we do specific things for Mother’s or St Patrick’s Days, Christmas, things like that. They take me hours but I just try and find something interesting,” he says.
While David enjoyed his IT work and the problem solving it offered him, he’s found being a book shop owner has its own challenges. “I’ll be straight up. Business is not good and has been going from bad to worse ever since Covid. Things are not picking up. I am doing my best to stay. I enjoy the job.”
There’s no question the shopping experience in this local treasure trove is eclectic. And don’t forget the good, old fashioned service that comes from David and his sometime helper, dad Paul. “He only comes in to make work for me,” he says. Humour bounces between the two and suddenly the world outside seems brighter.
– Moira Kennedy
David Bannistser: his Green Bay shop window display are quite a hit locally
Places to go – Things to do
Lopdell Film Festival 2026
Wednesday 24 – Saturday 27 June
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Lopdell Film Festival returns with four days of international cinema and stories shaped by creativity, memory and everyday life.
The festival opens on Wednesday with live music, before the opening night film Moss and Freud (M), an intimate portrait of Kate Moss and artist Lucian Freud, exploring the relationship between artist and muse.
Thursday’s Documentary Night includes Obsessed With Light (E), a visually rich look at pioneering dancer Loïe Fuller, followed by Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey (E), celebrating cinema’s unsung heroes, projectionists, collectors and film lovers presented by Sir Bob Harvey, sharing stories from his time as a projectionist.
Friday’s films turn to real-life stories, beginning with Words of War (M), based on the life of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. At 6pm, The President’s Cake (PG13) offers a rare and surprisingly warm glimpse of life under Saddam Hussein, seen through the eyes of a young girl on an unusual mission. The evening rounds out with Re Creation (M), a juryroom drama that will likely have audiences forming their own verdicts on the way home.
Saturday opens with the free screening Decades in Colour (E), a nostalgic portrait of life in Aotearoa. The Oscar-winning Mr Nobody Against Putin (M) follows at midday.
The afternoon keeps things lighter with 10 Lives (G) and Kangaroo (PG), two family friendly films full of second chances and unexpected friendships.
The Choral (M) leads into the evening with a moving First World War story about a small-town choir determined to carry on, before the festival closes with Mārama (RP16), a New Zealand Gothic feature set in 1859, bringing the programme to a striking and memorable close.
Visit Lopdell Precinct's website (lopdellprecinct.org.nz) for full details of all the films, and join in this celebration of a decade of film festivals.
FEATURING: Moss and Freud Obsessed With Light
The President’s Cake Mr Nobody Against Putin The Choral Mārama –
Busting with Life
Two nights a week, Tītīrangi resident Rachel Guthrie gets home late – and for good reason.
Rachel is a member of Busting with Life, a dragon boat team made up of breast cancer survivors. What started as a cautious return to exercise after treatment has become a regular part of her routine. “At first, I wasn’t sure I had the fitness,” she says. “But I kept turning up, made some new friends, and that made the difference.”
Dragon boating has its roots in ancient China, but these days it’s a well-established sport in Auckland. And it takes practice and concentration to get right.
Our environment matters!
My family and I have lived in Glen Eden, and now the Waitākere Ranges, for the last 14 years. The protection of our wonderful West Auckland environment is a big part of what motivates me in my work as a Member of Parliament.
I was very alarmed when the Government announced it would be scrapping the Ministry for the Environment – it’s just one more step in the coalition Government’s broader agenda to dilute environmental protections.
The Ministry was created as the Government’s lead adviser on the environment and climate with dedicated oversight of environmental issues. Axing this is a backwards move. The Ministry’s functions are to be absorbed into a new mega Ministry - this risks the important role the Ministry currently plays becoming invisible. National didn’t campaign on this at the last election, and it is now being rushed through with only limited time for the public to have their say, and without any regard to its impact.
The Government is also currently undoing integrated environmental management, by splitting the Resource Management Act into urban environments (the Planning Bill) and “other” environments (the Natural Environment Bill). Labour believes in an integrated approach that considers issues such as sediment runoff from both rural and urban environments into our rivers and coastal environment.
Labour is appalled by the constant attacks on the environment by this Government. Our environment is the foundation of our economy, and the two cannot be separated. Kiwis treasure our unique connection to nature – it is an integral part of our personal and collective identities – and we must protect it.
– Vanushi Walters: List Member of Parliament based in Waitākere
Funded by Parliamentary Services
For Rachel, that shared focus is a big part of the appeal. “You have to pay attention to what everyone else is doing,” she says. “Small changes matter, If you’re out of sync, you feel it straight away.”
Busting with Life trains regularly throughout the sixmonth season. Everyone on the team has had breast cancer, which shapes the tone of the group without defining it. “There’s a level of understanding about issues like lymphoedema,” Rachel says. “You don’t have to explain much, most of the time we’re just getting on with paddling.”
The sport itself is physically demanding. Rachel was surprised that it proved to be a whole-body workout and says it has helped her regain fitness and given her a reason to stay active. “It’s easier to show up when other people are expecting you to be there,” she says. "I’ve built it into my work schedule to leave earlier on the evenings we train because prioritising my health is a lot more important than it used to be."
You can contact Busting with Life at infobwl96@gmail.com.
From the chair
The Government and Auckland Council are going through a busy time, and the Waitākere Ranges Local Board is working hard to keep across it all while maintaining a focus on the local community.
The campaign to ensure the RMA replacements acknowledge the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act has been very positive. Acknowledgement goes to Greg Presland who has led the public meeting and petition, and to all the great Westies who have thrown their support behind it. At the same time, legislation enabling the council and local boards to have more say on roading has been signed off, so we are now looking at what the new structure will look like.
Meanwhile, MPI/Fisheries has opened consultation on shellfish harvesting to look at protecting our coastlines, which are in danger of being stripped. We strongly encourage you to check out local advocates online for more information and to make a submission.
Council has been reviewing submissions and finalising budgets for 2026/27. I am pleased we have found savings in the facilities contract and are looking to shift funds towards our environment, arts and community groups which have been asking for more support.
– Ngā mihi, Mark Allen, Chair, Te Poari ā-Rohe o Waitākere Ranges (Waitākere Ranges Local Board).
The 'Flower ceremony', remembering those lost to cancer.
Tree roots are taking over
After a busy month of CCTV inspections, one thing has become impossible to ignore: tree roots are causing the majority of drain blockages. It only takes the smallest weakness in a pipe for roots to make their move. A tiny crack, a loose joint, a worn seal –any little escape of moisture is enough to attract those fine feeder roots. Once they’re in, they grow fast. Before long, the pipe is full of a thick root mass that slows everything down and eventually blocks the line.
What’s really stood out is how many homeowners have been stuck in a cycle of repeat blockages without realising the true cause. They’d get the drain unblocked, it would behave for a bit, and then block again. Unblocking only clears what’s stuck, not the roots themselves. Without seeing inside the pipe, the problem just keeps coming back.
Regular CCTV checks and scheduled Hydro Jetting keep the pipes clear before the roots have a chance to take over. It’s quick, it’s affordable, and it stops small issues from turning into cracked pipes, collapsed sections, or major excavation jobs.
A Drain Ranger maintenance plan keeps your drains healthy, protects your property, and saves you from those big, unexpected repair bills. Call 021 709 783 today!
Cosmologies at Te Uru Humans, it seems, have forever been fascinated by the stars. No matter where or when, we can find evidence that the night sky is full of stories and mythologies.
With Cosmologies, Te Uru Galleries invites the visitors to an exhibition centring around the stars. For the artists, Nikau Hindin and Naminapu Maymuru-White, stars are not distant objects, but part of everyday life and relationships between people, nature, and ancestors.
Working with traditional materials and techniques, both artists create works inspired by indigenous cosmologies. Hindin uses aute (barkcloth made from paper mulberry) and natural pigments to map star movements and lunar cycles connected to the Māori lunar calendar. Her work reflects navigation, environmental knowledge, and the revival of cultural practices once nearly lost. Maymuru-White paints on bark using natural ochres, sharing Yolŋu stories of the Milky Way as a living ancestral pathway linking generations, ceremony, land and spirit. Her detailed constellations and star rivers talk of belonging, memory, and responsibility. Cosmologies offers a chance to experience two distinct artistic practices that bring ancestral storytelling and celestial knowledge together. The exhibition is open daily from 10am-4.30pm until August 9. Entry is free.
Western Water Supply Programme update
Watercare is delivering a programme of works to upgrade the western water supply network and help secure Auckland’s water supply into the future. From time to time, we’ll share updates in The Fringe on how things are progressing and introduce some of the people you’ll meet at community events or hear from in local updates.
Low Impact Aerial Survey to Inform Western Water Supply Planning
At first glance, it may look like just another plane passing overhead. But this twin engine aircraft has a crucial job to do.
Equipped with advanced aerial LiDAR technology, the plane will capture highly detailed data about the landscape below, information that will directly inform the next stage of Watercare’s Western Water Supply Programme.
LiDAR – short for Light Detection and Ranging – is a well established surveying technique used by councils, utility providers and emergency services to accurately measure ground levels and terrain. The technology is completely safe for people, animals and the environment.
Watercare senior project manager Yvonne Jones (pictured above) says the system works by sending pulses of laser light from the aircraft to the ground and measuring how the light reflects back.
“The equipment uses a Class 1 laser. This is the same laser class commonly used in everyday technology such as laser printers, DVD and Blu ray players, and fibre optic communication systems.
“One of LiDAR’s key advantages is its ability to ‘see through’ dense vegetation, allowing Watercare to better understand ground conditions, underlying topography and geological features around critical water assets.
“The data we’re collecting is far more up to date and detailed than the historical information we’ve relied on in the past,” Jones says. “It gives us a much clearer picture of what’s happening on the ground and will significantly improve our planning.”
Jones says the contractor undertaking the survey has completed all preparations and is ready to fly. As the work is carried out by aircraft, it must comply with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) requirements.
“The flight plan has been submitted and approved, with take off and landing at Auckland Airport.
“The exact timing depends on weather conditions and the availability of a suitable flight slot, which is outside Watercare’s control.
“Only one flight is required. The aircraft will spend approximately 30 minutes surveying the Upper Nihotupu Raw Watermain route, followed by around 30 minutes over the Waitākere Raw Watermain route.”
Jones says the plane will operate at around 3,000 feet (approximately 900 metres) above ground level, in line with CAA requirements.
“It will remain well above residential areas, with no impact on people below. There is no need for access to private property, and noise disruption is expected to be minimal.
“Once a likely flight window has been confirmed, we’ll do our best to let the community know, so people are aware of the timing and can feel confident about what’s happening.”
To stay up to date, click ‘Sign up today’ on the Western Water Supply Programme page on Watercare’s website.
Raising the IQ on both sides of the Tasman ...
Yeah gidday. Lizard here.
Blimey it’s a mite wintery. Caught me on the hop. My firewood's wet and the wetback's dry. Still, we’re lovin' livin' in the greatest wee country this side of Australia.
On the subject of Australia, we had quite the knees-up at The Shrine farewelling Sneaky Steve. He’s off to try his luck across the ditch. Reckons he’ll get 500 bucks more a week. Which means he’ll get 500 a week. He’s always been on the bludge. I think it was Rob Muldoon who said, that’ll raise the IQ of both countries.
I’m not sure I’ve really told you much about Sneaky Steve?
Way back, I’d just moved in with Shaz. We were crashing at her Mum, Dorothy’s bedsit. It was above the Chicken'N'Chips takeaway on White Swan Road. Shaz was pregnant so we both left school and set up camp in her Mum's front and only room. Shaz scored a job peeling spuds and cutting chips downstairs while I temporarily went on the dole.
Shaz’s Dad. Charlie the Rat, dropped by for a visit one avo. He said to me ”once we men start raising a family, Lizard, it’s time to hang up our wild ways.” Dorothy said,”Yeah. And you hung your wild ways on a nail in the wall at the Westward Ho.” They’ve been separated since Shaz was three so I guess he’d done enough raising by then.
But, back to Sneaky Steve. The first time we met, he was providing the chickens for the place down stairs. Even then he looked like the rotten tooth in an otherwise lovely smile. Occasionally Shaz and Sneaky would chat when he was delivering bits of chook. He said that he owned a place near the ridge of South Tītīrangi Road. He lived there with his missus and a newborn called Miracle. There was plenty of room, he’d charge us bugger-all rent and he’d quite like the company.
Shaz asked why they named their child Miracle? "Because it was a miracle, Shaz;" said Sneaky Steve. ’The missus gave birth to a healthy bouncing boy, and we had only been together for about six weeks. A true blue bona fide miracle!”
By now, Shaz was beginning to show and Dot’s couch was a bit cramped so we moved in with Sneaky and his family.
He owned, so we thought, an old villa down the hill from the Toby Jug, although it was a junk shop back then. Sneaky had fenced off the entire, huge back yard and was raising dozens of hens. It was pretty cool while it lasted. But…
It wasn’t that long after Lizard Junior was born, we got evicted. Turns out, all the rent we were giving to Sneaky, we were giving to Sneaky. He didn’t own the place and pocketed all the rent. The actual owner was in fact, a big wig at the Onehunga Woollen Mill. Luckily, not such a bad bloke. He said we could stay on if we got rid of all the chooks and Sneaky paid off the back rent. Of course, Sneaky being sneaky, opened all the gates and he and the birds did a midnight runner. I’m not sure where all the hens ended up. Shaz was pretty sure she saw a few hanging about in the Tītīrangi Village once. Sneaky’s missus and Miracle went back up north to Hikurangi or somewhere around there.
We lost track of Sneaky for yonks. Meanwhile, Shaz went to Uni to finish her Masters and we thought it best if I stayed on the dole. Just until Junior went to High School.
So it was quite a surprise to catch up with Sneaky Steve a few months ago. And I mean catch. He had his hand in the tip jar at The Shrine. I asked what he’d been up to over the years. "When I shot through from Tītīrangi, I hit the city. I’m a big smoke guy, Lizard. Love the buzz. I was a ’towel boy’ at The White House on Queen Street. Man. What a trip.“
Then, as far as I could figure, he was a part-time stool pigeon for the cops. Always was a dodgie piece of work.
"‘Eventually Lizard, me old china, I shacked up with a hermaphrodite and a succession of cats. But, me being a man of multiple occupational opportunities, I’m off to greener pastures. Don’t want a couple of kittens do ya? Great ratters.”
So, I guess it’s farewell to Sneaky Steve. I overlooked him taking the tip jar. Again. Put it down to travel money for a blast from my past. Goes to show, you can't choose your kids but keep a close eye on your mates. Just a thought, why not give some cash to your Aunty to knit you a woollen jersey. Cosy.
Have fun. Later, Lizard.
More and more locals are turning to cycling.
Environmental charity EcoMatters is reporting record visitor numbers at its nine Bike Hubs. The New Lynn hub, supported by the Whau Local Board, saw 805 visitors and helped people to fix 336 bikes during March and April. This hub opened in 2017 and was EcoMatters' first bike hub "Visitor numbers are up 25 per cent compared to the same time last year. It really shows that more and more Aucklanders want to cycle around their city," says EcoMatters Environment Trust CEO Carla Gee. Supported by Auckland Transport and local boards, the bike hubs take a hands-on approach. Team members and volunteers work alongside visitors to teach basic bike maintenance, so people have the skills to keep their bikes functioning and safe. The team also restores donated bikes for resale.
"While rising fuel costs have certainly sparked new interest in cycling, these record numbers are also part of a longer-term pattern of growth," says EcoMatters' bike hubs manager Brent Bielby. “The response we’ve seen from our visitors shows the Bike Hub model is a great resource for communities.” EcoMatters bike hubs also provide local safe cycling guidance around their neighbourhoods.
Discover affordable retirement village living
$30,000 cashback PLUS free weekly fees for 24 months!*
Bupa Sunset Retirement Village | Blockhouse Bay Enquiries from $515,000^
Our apartments are modern and light, with sunny shared gardens, large bright communal areas and panoramic views. We currently have one and two bedroom apartments available.
Contact Laura on 09 636 3803. 117/123 Boundary Road, Blockhouse Bay bupa.co.nz/sunset
Bupa Glenburn Retirement Village | New Lynn Enquiries from $499,000^
Bupa Glenburn is a boutique-style village, conveniently located next to a bus stop and just up the road from LynnMall and the New Lynn train station. We currently have one and two bedroom apartments available.
Contact Matt on 09 636 3809. 79 Margan Avenue, New Lynn bupa.co.nz/glenburn
*Bupa’s standard application terms and conditions apply. The offer is available to all new prospective residents entering an application for an ORA at Bupa’s Glenburn or Sunset Retirement Villages between 16 May – 16 September 2026. Full settlement of the ORA must occur on or before 30 September 2026. For full terms and conditions visit bupa.co.nz/promotions ^Price is for a licence to occupy under an Occupation Right Agreement.