Tītīrangi Library's children's librarian, Elaine Haines, and the rest of the library team have been busy restocking the shelves of the library, with the help of two furry friends. The library has gone through a major upgrade over the last year, says Greer Clark, manager area operations for Henderson-Massey and Waitākere Ranges Local Boards. The work included a full re-roof and re-clad, upgraded stormwater drainage, seismic strengthening, repairs to timber joinery and the replacement of timber joinery. The library will reopen on Monday, August 10 with the Tītīrangi War Memorial Hall scheduled to reopen later this year. Once the hall upgrade is complete, this popular venue will once more be available for the community to use.
community news, issues, arts, people, events community news, issues, arts, people, events
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The Fringe, Issue 261, August 2026
Delivered free to letter 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. September 2026
The Fringe (and the Tītīrangi Tatler before it) is on-line at www.fringemedia.co.nz. Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FringeWest) to hear when each issue is available.
There is something very wrong when the only solution to people sleeping on the streets is to give the police more powers to move them on, who knows where. In a caring society, where people and their welfare are important, there are much better solutions than criminalising those who are already suffering from government neglect. — Bevis England.
and projects at
Crichton, a long
Septic tank pump-outs to change
Change is afoot for septic tank management in the Waitākere Ranges, with responsibility for pump-outs shifting from Council to owners. JADE REIDY reports.
Auckland Council has confirmed that from July 2027, the 3,300 properties that are not on reticulated sewerage and have standard septic tanks will no longer have three-yearly pump-outs included as an annual targeted rate.
Instead, owners will need to choose both the contractor and the timing of their pump-out and will pay directly for the service. (For those with newer tertiary systems that require inspection every six months and are not part of the council pump-out scheme, nothing changes.)
This flexible arrangement also means that some pump-outs could be combined with the two-yearly requirement to have septic tanks inspected for safety and performance.
Owners’ next inspection is an opportunity to get feedback on the level of solids, hence when a pump-out is likely to be needed. Tank sizes vary, but for a one-person household, a 4,000-litre septic tank typically takes 4–6 years or longer to require pumping, depending on water use and maintenance.
Executive manager of Drain Ninjas, Sasha Langham-Gorst, says that further cost savings are possible if neighbours of similar-size households arrange to share a pump-out.
“Depending on the tank size, our larger trucks (up to 9000 litres capacity) could fit two or possibly three tanks, which significantly reduces the travel time involved and hence the cost,” Sasha says.
Concerns have been expressed that some owners may not keep up with pump-out needs but a significant shift over the past six years in compliance with inspections (from 25% to 75%) suggests otherwise. Councillor Josephine Bartley, chair of the Regulatory and Safety Committee, says that while the Safe Septic programme focuses on ensuring septic tanks systems are running effectively to prevent waterway pollution, it also indicates that owners are taking responsibility for their septic systems.
"Now that Waitākere septic tank owners have told us that they no longer wish to pay the targeted rate for council-
arranged pump-outs, and Auckland Council has responded, we expect these owners to take similar responsibility for also ensuring their tanks are pumped out," Josephine says.
In early July, the Huia Domain public toilets backed up with sewage due to an overfull septic tank, which suggests the council needs to take its own advice. Common signs of an overfull tank are slow drains, bad smells, soggy ground near the tank in dry weather or sewage backing up into the house. Any of these require urgent action.
This next year, before the new rules apply, may also be a time for households to consider switching to a composting toilet. Auckland Council issues building consents for composting toilets, so long as they are waterless or urinediverting. Households use between 10,000 and 40,000 litres of water per year just to flush the toilet, so composting toilets significantly reduce water flowing through the septic system.
See goodloos.co.nz or lewisgray.com to start that journey.
Play therapist Chloe Davidson and patient Sebastian Furter are pictured enjoying the revamped Rangatira Ward outdoor play area at Waitākere Hospital. Around 3000 children each year pass through the Rangatira Children's Ward and its once tired and uninspiring outdoor play area has been transformed into a vibrant, welcoming playground. It features a striking mural depicting the local West Auckland beach and bush by Auckland artist John Feary, custom built wooden play furniture, a new shade sail and fresh turf. The transformation was made possible through the support of Well Foundation, the charity for North Shore and Waitākere Hospital, and valued Well Foundation sponsor nib NZ. Chloe says opportunities for play are a vital part of a child's hospital experience. "Play helps children make sense of what's happening around them and having access to an outdoor space where they can move, play and enjoy some fresh air can help reduce anxiety, provide a sense of normality and support their emotional wellbeing during their time in hospital."
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Art & About with Naomi McCLeary
It Takes Two to Tango
'Two’ is the drumbeat that is driving me to the computer this month. ‘Tango’ is superfluous – but it is such a sensuous word! Think ‘blind’ Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman! But to the business.
Matariki has become a wildly significant part of our celebratory calendar. Year by year, the deepening meaning of the celestial constellation, and the stories behind it, are permeating our mid-winter conversations in a more relaxed manner.
As I sat watching (on TV to my shame) the very beautiful dawn service at the Ōrākei Marae, I had this ‘aha’ moment. That until now I have had a head understanding and appreciation of Matariki; but something was missing. The honouring of those who have passed in the last year was that moment, and suddenly my heart clicked into gear.
Perhaps it was intensified by the loss of Sam Neill and the intense sadness we all feel. So, I’m ‘head and heart’ now, and feel that I can truly mark the new Matariki year as my own. The amazing mid-winter dinner my family cooked topped it off, and we practiced saying Mānawatia a Matariki until it rolled smoothly off our tongues.
Two very senior, and local, artists have exhibitions in our 'hood right now. Dean Buchanan’s work will be at the Upstairs Gallery until August 9. This ‘small but perfectly formed’ gallery is punching way above its weight. Of course that’s the result of the vision, passion and dedication of Carlos and Tatiana Vano. They are unstoppable.
But to Dean. He is an unusual and intense individual; has lived in Karekare in the heart of the rugged Waitākere Ranges forever. I have known him on and off going way back. He is a man who has to keep moving; running, cycling, climbing and throwing that unstoppable energy onto canvas with his sweeping, moving landscapes, most often featuring the Ranges. His style and content has evolved over time, but it is still indisputably Dean Buchanan. He continues to capture the beauty and, in some ways, the violence of the land and sea; is transfixed by line and colour, by the complex geometries of New Zealand landscape and bush. There is some abstraction, heavy outlines shape the slightly cubist segmenting, but one can always recognise the place.
His same punishing regime of work and exercise is
maintained today, up well before dawn, painting in his studio down the bush path from his house, cycling, climbing, and always more painting. Dean has found his unique voice, his unique vision of the world around him and now as ever he seeks only to paint it. Go stand in the Upstairs Gallery and have your senses assaulted by colour, form, intensity. It is overwhelming in the most marvellous way.
His paintings are in collections nationally and internationally, but it is so good to see his work here on home territory.
John Parker, a longtime resident of bush-clad Waiatarua, and a ceramicist of national and international standing, has a display of his elegant, and deceptively simple, white vessels and forms in the newly opened Ambrico Kiln in New Lynn. (See the July 2026 Fringe). The organic and industrial nature of the kiln tunnel, in particular the white accretions from decades of brick firings, covering the arch of the interior, stand in sharp contrast to his sophisticated work.
John is without doubt a renaissance man; a writer, a theatre and costume designer, a potter and a collector of Chinese memorabilia. He grew up in Panmure in the middle of Chinese market gardens, so his exposure to, and love of, things Chinese happened at a very early pre-pottery age.
His forms and aesthetic, of the stark and the industrial, have, to some degree, put him out of step with the craft based organically-oriented mainstream of NZ pottery. My view is that he has transcended that and has become a powerful voice for a different aesthetic that is truly authentic and ‘of this place’.
In John’s words: My life is a successful marriage of all my interests. I make no distinction between them, even if trying to define what I actually do for a job bothers other people. I see no difference between my two practices. They both are concerned with 3D objects in space. The only difference is that my ceramic work is a solo activity and my theatre work involves total collaboration
The Ambrico Kiln is open Wednesday to Friday, 10am-4pm; and Saturday 10am-3pm. John Parker’s exhibition will grace the kiln until late September.
Dean Buchanan at Upstairs Gallery: overwhelming in the most marvellous way.
Art & About with Naomi McCLeary
Memoirs times two!
I have to ‘fess up to being hooked on memoirs; in part because they are so unreliable! Recall is such quaky and subjective territory, but comes always with its own conviction of certainty.
Night Ma by Elizabeth Knox was the first of two books to knock me around. She has taken a very particular five years of her life when she and her family were rocked again and again with trauma and tragedy; but in the telling she has dug deep back into the trauma of her childhood, and it is a breathtaking, and heartbreaking, story. I did not see it coming, which almost stopped me in my tracks. But through and over the litany of events, is the sad story of her mother’s slow descent with an auto immune disease and her inevitable passing. I think the brilliance of this memoir is that she most certainly doesn’t ‘gild the lily’; her mother’s inadequacies almost dispassionately named and numbered; but the love and grief that play out is the legacy that she takes forward. It is, in places, not a comfortable read, but it is a powerful and honest account from one of our best writers.
Last, but not least, is Stakes by Noelle McCarthy, pictured left. Recently published, this book is capturing the limelight. It traverses again much of the territory of her earlier memoir Grand, but now laces it with her obsession from childhood with the Dracula/vampire mythology. It sure as hell adds a technicolour wash over everything!
The chapters on her dysfunctional childhood, alcoholic mother, tumultuous and dangerous adolescence and increasing alcoholism, had me almost praying out loud that she would ‘please just stop'! The writing is brilliant, captivating, sensuous. I could see it, smell it, feel the self-destructive whirlpool. I recall when Noelle first appeared on the New Zealand scene; the quite glorious, tousled-haired journalist with the sublime Irish accent. To know that the interviews, often celebratory appearances, were all laced with monstrous amounts of alcohol, defies belief. But I am convinced. This is a story of redemption; flawed, questioned, articulated with such insight and passion. You have to love her.
So, there are my ‘twos’ for August; two artists, two writers and two organs brought into alignment. Mānawatia a Matariki.
Western Water Supply Programme update
Watercare is delivering a programme of work to upgrade the western water supply network and help secure Auckland’s water supply into the future. Here’s an update from Axel Dumont who is leading the Western Water Supply Programme.
Over the past few months, our planning team has been assessing options and reviewing community feedback on two projects within our Western Water Supply Programme – the replacement Upper Nihotupu and Huia raw watermains.
I'd like to start by thanking everyone who took the time to share their views. We received important feedback from residents, businesses, community groups and other stakeholders, helping to shape the projects.
After completing detailed technical, environmental, cultural and planning assessments, we're now pleased to share our preferred options for both raw watermain replacements.
The existing raw watermains are critical pieces of infrastructure, transporting water from our western dams for treatment before it reaches homes and businesses across the region. Replacing them will help ensure they continue to serve Auckland reliably for many decades to come.
Our preferred option for the Upper Nihotupu raw watermain involves constructing a new pipeline over approximately 8km, connecting the Upper Nihotupu Dam to the new Water Treatment Plant. The section of the pipeline between Seavers Camp and the new water treatment plant will be installed deep underground, making it less vulnerable to slips and severe
weather events and reducing the risk of future disruptions.
The preferred option for the Huia raw watermain follows a similar approach and was identified following the selection at Upper Nihotupu.
This option brings the Lower Nihotupu flow via a new tunnelled pipe approximately 1km long to meet the Upper Nihotupu raw watermain at Jacobson's Depot. The connection to the existing Lower Nihotupu rising main will be located near the Parau spoil management area. Importantly, this option allows us to retain the existing Huia raw watermain in service, providing additional capacity and resilience within the network.
One of the reasons these options were preferred is that they make greater use of existing infrastructure corridors, reducing the need for disruptive surface construction and minimising community and environmental impact. They have relatively low construction footprints, generate less construction soil for disposal and require fewer truck movements, helping to reduce impacts on roads, residents, businesses and recreational spaces.
Community feedback was a key consideration. Concerns about traffic management, road closures, property access, construction disruption and environmental protection were all weighed alongside engineering, environmental and cultural considerations. The preferred options reflect this balance and demonstrate the importance of community input.
While there is still work ahead, reaching this milestone is an important step forward. We look forward to continuing to work with communities as these projects progress and to keeping you informed along 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 – 8, Whetūrangitia, an exhibition series in celebration of Matariki; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson. Phone 838 4455, www.ceac.org.nz.
w – 9, Cosmologies. Nikau Hindin and Naminapu Maymuru-White work with aute (barkcloth) and bark painting to translate lived astronomical knowledge into contemporary abstraction; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road; Tuesday – Sunday, 10am-4.30pm. Phone 817 8087.
w – 9, All the forest stands with you. Jonathas de Andrade, Anetta Mona Chişa, Ayesha Green, Arapeta Hākura, Emily Karaka, Agnieszka Polska, Mathilde Rosier, and Zheng Bo trace the entangled relationships between the human and the more-than-human; Te Uru, 420 Tītīrangi Road; Tuesday – Sunday, 10am-4.30pm. Phone 817 8087.
w – 9, Dean Buchanan, A Journey, a solo show; Upstairs Gallery, Level 1, Lopdell House, 418 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 4278.
w – 9, Golden Hour, photography and mixed media by Jago Neal; West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha; Thursday/Friday, 10am-3pm, Saturday/ Sunday, 10am-4pm. Phone 09 812 8029. www.westcoast.co.nz
w – 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 – September 6, Puawānanga, a 16mm film by Nova Paul (Ngāpuhi), made using plant-based hand processing; The Arts House, Pah Homestead, 72A Hillsborough Road; Tuesday – Friday, 9am-3pm, Weekends 8am-4pm. Phone 639 2010.
w 8 – September 6, Fire & Clay, an exhibition celebrating the work of Auckland Studio Potters; The Arts House, Pah Homestead, 72A Hillsborough Road; Tuesday – Friday, 9am-3pm, Weekends 8am-4pm. Phone 639 2010.
w 14 – August 30, Galaxie Petunia, a exhibition by Chlo and Sylvia Marsters; Upstairs Gallery, Level 1, Lopdell House, 418 Tītīrangi Road. Phone 817 4278.
w 20 – November 15, Clear my throat: Sefton Rani reimagines colonial domestic architecture; The Arts House, Pah Homestead, 72A Hillsborough Road; Tuesday – Friday, 9am-3pm, Weekends 8am-4pm. Phone 639 2010.
August
w 1, 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 Linda Cartwright: cartwrightlynda764@gmail.com, 027 333 2656.
w 2, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732.
w 6, Flicks presents Where to invade Next? (M, Doc./Comedy ), a Michael Moore film where he plays the role of an American "invader", undergoing a global tour where he experiences alternative methods that deal with social and economic ills. The USA has a long history of invading countries and pushing agendas that have produced results that have failed every time –António Guterres, UN; Sozo Cafe, 1/2 Shetland Street, Glen Eden; 10.30am, 1pm and 7pm; $15/$12. Bookings essential Text 0210 222 5558.
w 8, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents The Whinray Family, floorsingers in first half; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 8pm; $15, members $10, under 18 free. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz.
w 9 and 23, 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 12, Tītīrangi Wine & Food Society Mid-Winter Dinner; La Rosa Restaurant, 16 Captain Scott Road, Glen Eden; 6.30pm. Email twinefs@ gmail.com.
w 15 – September 13, Beyond the Realm, Paintings by Val Enger; West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha; Thursday/Friday, 10am-3pm, Saturday/ Sunday, 10am-4pm. Phone 09 812 8029. www.westcoast.co.nz
w 15, 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 15, 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 15, Book Swap, bring up to 10 books you’re ready to part with and take home up to 10 "new-to-you" books; Tītīrangi Community House, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 10:30pm-2:30pm. Register your interest and read more at https://www.facebook.com/share/1B894WqLNr/.
w 15 – 21, Reading Around Aotearoa. Celebrate the very first NZ Children’s book week starting off the week off with scavenger hunts, book displays, an afterschool DIY kids Make-and-take craft station and a special Dazzle Hands storytime on August 17, 11-11.30am; Titirangi Library, 500 South Titirangi Road.
w 18 – 29, Tītīrangi Theatre presents Dinner with the Family by Jean Anouith; Tītīrangi Theatre, Lopdell House, 418 Tītīrangi Road; Bookings at https://www.titirangitheatre.co.nz/
w 20, Waitākere Forest & Bird presents Ian McLean, the Auckland Regional Representative for Birds New Zealand, who will detail the Birds New Zealand Beach Patrol scheme which has been running for 75 years; Ranui Community Centre 474 Swanson Rd, Ranui; 7.30 pm; koha appreciated. Phone Liz 027 476 2732 or email lizanstey@hotmail.com.
w 21, Waitākere Grey Power Association presents a Meet the Candidates meeting and Q&A; Te Atatū South Community Centre, 247 Edmonton Rd, Te Atatū South; 12.30pm, Phone Mate Marinovich 09 838 5207.
w 23, Modular Poetry in the Whau with Wordcore Wayfinders: 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. www.wordcore.net
Places to go – Things to do
w 25, 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 Library presents forensic scientist turned author Ruben Miller, sharing the stories behind The Blood Says Otherwise. After 22 years on crime scenes across Aotearoa, Ruben offers a rare look behind the blue lines — exploring the human stories within the evidence and the personal toll of working with tragedy; Glen Eden Library; 6.30-7.30pm; Free tickets from https://tinyurl.com/rubenmiller.
w 28, Paper Portraits Crafternoon for ages 5-14; Tītīrangi Community House, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 3:30-4:30pm; Free. Register your interest and read more at https://www.facebook.com/share/1cYeW3dRo1/
w 28, Tītīrangi Folk Music Club presents Friday Folk, an informal gathering of musicians, singers and listeners; Tītīrangi Beach Hall, bottom of Tītīrangi Beach Road; 7:30pm; $5. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz.w
w 28, Open Mic Night, Great music from the West's best; Tītīrangi RSA, 502 South Tītīrangi Road; 8pm. Phone 817 6415.
w 29, Plunket Babysitting Course. Gain the skills and confidence you need to step into paid work at this practical, one-day course, designed for teens aged 14–17. Saturday August 29th Tītīrangi Community House, 500 South Tītīrangi Road; 9am-3pm; $45. Register at https://events.humanitix.com/ plunket-babysitting-course-titirangi
w 29, New Lynn Repair Cafe organised and run by DEANZ. Bring your broken items and work with skilled volunteers to fix them; New Lynn Community Centre, Tōtara Avenue, New Lynn; 11am-2pm; Koha. Contact Kabir on mehsanul.nz@gmail.com.
w 30, 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.
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
To book, email keepinkatz719@gmail.com or book online WWW.KEEPIN-KATZ.CO.NZ
Spring is on its way! New styles arriving daily Further reductions on balance of Winter stock
561 Blockhouse Bay Road
Blockhouse Bay Village (opposite the Library) Tues – Fri: 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-3pm Closed Sun and Mon Ph 09 626 5633
www.kenturnermotors.co.nz
Honouring a family; connecting a community
Often an overlooked landmark, 400 Tītīrangi Road has long sat on the fringes of the Village’s cultural scene. On the corner of Rangiwai Road and with major renovations underway the building promises a new local asset. AZZURRA SNELGROVE-DOUCH reports.
The building is owned by the Titchener family and its recent renovation and construction have been overseen by Kerry Titchener. It's a project which, as Kerry says, has had “no expense spared”, with the main goal of "getting the building to a good standard”. This includes new stone columns, extensive underground parking spaces and garages, and sprawling outdoor patio areas.
The addition of blue stone columns and tiles echo those seen across Tītīrangi, particularly around the RSA and library spaces. The redevelopment also includes new steel framing and concrete floors, as well as expanded upstairs spaces and a redesigned interior. There will be new outdoor seating, canopies and planters, soon to be filled with flowing greenery, while glass replaces walls to increase light and open the space.
It's a project which also holds strong family and historical significance. Originally owned by Kerry's grandmother in the 1940s and 50s, the building was later acquired by the government to establish the Tītīrangi Post Office. Remnants of this remain with sections of the historical post office tile flooring being retained in the building's almost complete reconstruction. The space was offered back to Kerry’s father, Walter Titchener, during the 1990s and he was more than happy to take it back. Following his passing, the redevelopment became an important process in honouring family tradition. Kerry hopes to maintain family possession of the building, passing it down to future generations.
The building will house a number of different businesses. The second shop space next to Gecko in the Village (which has undergone expansion) will shortly open to new tenants. The Titchener family will also maintain a presence upstairs through the establishment of the W F Titchener Holdings offices, alongside the existing Traffic Planning Consultants
offices, which have been expanded and revamped.
A familiar face takes on the main restaurant space: Vevo Café owner Victoria Warne. She aims to bring a “little bit of Auckland to Tītīrangi” through the opening of a modern Italian eatery. This will include sharing plates and “nice wines”. She hopes it will be an elevated spot to "spend evenings and special occasions".
Construction is scheduled to finish in September, with the opening of the restaurant expected shortly after. The redevelopment marks a new chapter for the building, after a history of changing hands; and a commitment to honouring family history and reconnecting with the community.
Building community through horses
Tucked away behind Owen's Green, beside Laingholm Kindergarten, Huia Road Horse Club is one of West Auckland's hidden gems.
For decades, the club has brought together local families, horse lovers, and volunteers who share a passion for horses, the outdoors, and community.
The club is a welcoming space where people of all ages can develop new skills, and make lasting friendships.
Community is at the heart of everything the club does. On the first Sunday of each month, the club hosts pony rides for children and the club has also expanded its activities to learn about the beehives on site, care for the surrounding bush through community weeding days, and help create a space that supports both people and nature. Other activities include Halloween dress-ups, dog days, art evenings and more. In an increasingly busy world, the club offers something refreshingly simple: fresh air, hands-on learning, genuine community connection, and a sense of belonging.
To find out more follow the Huia Road Horse Club Facebook page or contact Diana at hrhc.secretary@gmail.com or 021 111 0608.
Who’s a good boy then?
Glenn and Glynis Jennings’ Green Bay apartment is not your average two or three-bedroom home. For a start, one of the rooms is exclusively for JJ, a sulphur-crested cockatoo who has been living with the retired couple for two years. MOIRA KENNEDY finds out more.
They aren’t sure of JJ's history (nor his/her sex) but the chatty bird’s thought to be about 40 years old and had travelled around ‘a bit’ with its previous owners.
Cockatoos are unmatched mimics and JJ’s been known to greet visitors and enquire about their welfare. It even asked his vet "What’s up?" It lives in an expansive cage in its own room, looking out to a bright and sunny deck, and takes time out to hop around the apartment, loving nothing better than having a chat then poking its head under Glenn’s armpit and snuggling in to watch a bit of telly.
JJ is a bit of a 'daddy’s boy' and enjoys being patted like a cat. Its treats include peanuts, sunflower seeds and navel oranges. Although JJ has the potential to create chaos, Glenn and Glynis aren’t fazed – they’ve had lots of birds over the years including a Major Mitchell cockatoo (they have pink crests) for 34 years.
“JJ’s part of the family and a very special part of our lives. No expense is spared on him,” says Glynis.
Another special part of their lives is their unique range of carvings, art works, photos, animal ornaments and paintings. Words that spring to mind to describe the hundreds, possibly thousands, of treasures include eccentric, eclectic, quirky, unique and unconventional. A first-time visitor was heard to gasp ‘good grief’ but the accumulation-prone pair care not a jot what others think.
“This might all be a bit excessive for some people, most people perhaps,” says Glenn. “We don’t care. Every piece is an art work in its own right.”
And he’s right. Many of the works have been made by Glenn. He’s taught himself to turn his hand to anything over the years. “It doesn’t come naturally. I work hard to find out the best way of doing things then develop whatever I’m working on.”
That includes wood carving, a book of animal photography for Hamilton Zoo, bird photography for John Sands calendars and making 20 guitars and restoring others that are old and rare. One acoustic guitar took him three months to create. Although retailers wanted to stock and sell them, “I just did them for fun, for myself to play," says Glenn.
Some of Glenn's wooden plates have taken 40 hours to make, woodturning with native, exotic and rare woods like the now strictly protected Brazilian rosewood or rara
cocobolo, a dense tropical hardwood from Central America.
But Glenn’s not a solo collector. Glynis started collecting ornaments when she was a child and has done her fair share with Glenn. On occasion she’s seen something she liked in a magazine and had it made for her in pottery or bronze.
“We don’t think ahead. We might just be cruising the 'net and see something and think, 'That would be good', and so we get it,” says Glynis.
Moving from their big family home in Tītīrangi to an apartment three years ago could have been a nightmare. Not trusting professional movers to handle their treasures, they did the move themselves. Glenn created cardboard cutouts for every single item to nestle in its own safe space. That also went for all the shelves in the glass cases. A cardboard creation of the new apartment’s floor plan was his masterpiece. “Yes, it took time. A couple of weeks, more perhaps,” says Glenn. “It was like doing a big jigsaw.”
"Who's a good boy then," says JJ.
Glynis, Glenn and JJ sharing family time
Glenn with a few of his 20 self-made guitars
Naturally West
Birds of a feather: rescuing native birds
Dr Rashi Parker loves engaging diverse communities in caring for the environment, and is excited about her new role as the general manager of BirdCare Aotearoa, writes FIONA DRUMMOND.
The daughter of a marine biologist and photographer, Rashi grew up in awe of the living world. She trained as a neuroscientist at the University of Auckland and Marine Biological Laboratory (USA) but a quirky question from her young daughter about the environment inspired an immediate move out of research and into animal welfare.
Rashi joined BirdCare Aotearoa in 2024. The organisation, based in Green Bay, cares for over 2000 sick, injured or orphaned native birds annually and treated 111 different species last year, from common garden delights like tūī and kererū, to endangered taiko (black petrels), and pāteke (brown teals). The operation involves five specialised clinical staff members, supported by more than 150 dedicated volunteers and trustees.
The charity has a long legacy in West Auckland, from pioneering ‘bird rescue’ efforts over two decades, which then developed to a more clinical and conservation focus. It is situated on the scenic property of the late Jocelyn Grattan, who wished for an animal-welfare focused bird hospital to be established at her former home.
Rashi’s first role, as fundraising and advocacy manager, was to support the organisation’s transition into a sustainable charity. She continues this work as general manager. A key focus is to connect with environmentally conscious communities and businesses, keen to make a real impact on biodiversity restoration.
Local supporters include Dinesh at the Crafty Baker, who famously trained for his Auckland Marathon (to raise funds for BirdCare) wearing a chicken suit through Tītīrangi. Other supporters include Gree NZ, the Hugh Green Foundation, and Matta Products. The Friends of BirdCare programme, the Tītīrangi Potters, the Hollywood in Avondale, Ash from Haxan Hair Studio, and local youth orchestras have also helped with raising funds.
A close connection with Te Kawerau ā Maki has expanded BirdCare’s appreciation of the cultural impact of healthy bird life. Te Kawerau’s ancestral knowledge is also helping to understand natural cycles, like predicting drunk kererū admissions during karaka berry season.
BirdCare is analysing its hospital admission data, in collaboration with colleagues from Unitec, and Massey and Auckland universities, to identify other biodiversity threats such as predation, collisions, fish-hooks, and disorientation by bright night lighting.
With little central government support, BirdCare relies on donations and grants. “Running a hospital is very expensive,"
says Rashi. "Just like human hospitals, our patients need clinical triaging. They are given medication, fluids, oxygen ventilation, and species-specific food. They need daily health checks to monitor their progress and physiotherapy, before they are ready to return to the wild. In the spring and summer, chicks need warm and humiditycontrolled incubators.”
Today, the team is working through the evolving challenge of the highly-infectious avian influenza (H5N1) and is part of a critical front-line diseasescreening programme, maintaining a safe hospital, for both birds and the wider community. Auckland Council are key partners in this work.
However, BirdCare urgently needs additional support. It warmly welcomes donations and discussions so it can continue serving birds, and bird lovers.
“Westies have a special connection with birds and I am confident that, together, we can really improve the protection of our taonga,” says Rashi.
https://birdcareaotearoa.org.nz/donate/
It’s been a sad year for the arts community, first with the loss of Jools Topp and more recently the passing of Sam Neill. The outpouring of public grief tells us a great deal about just how highly Kiwis regard and cherish the arts; and arts icons like Jools and Sam.
What we will sorely miss from them is a fierce advocacy for the arts.
Sam, speaking to Metro magazine said, “[New Zealand is] so full of potential, but we lack leadership.” He noted that the New Year Honours Lists reveal where the priorities lie in this country. “Have a look at the last one,” he said, “Jane Campion gets knighted. Apart from that, the arts are almost entirely ignored. And without the arts, we’re rooted. We’re rooted.”
That was a decade ago. Since then, we have tolerated a managed decline by those in the Beehive of so much that makes up the fabric of being Kiwi; flip-flopping between parties that lack the leadership or courage to undertake the bold, transformative ideas that are needed. “A voiceless place that just does business”, as Sam said. It’s time that we expect better.
Mark Roach is the Opportunity candidate for Waitākere. Contact mark.roach@opportunity.org.nz or find him on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn @ markroachforwaitakere.
Checking the health of a kahu. Photo by Ethan Lu.
Ever wondered why Sandy's Parade is so named?
Yeah gidday. Lizard here.
I must say, I don’t like being fat, but I really enjoyed getting here.
Anyway, with my shirt tails out, a must for the round bellied man, I headed in to the community hall to attend the monthly meeting of the Stand-up Bus Drivers and Public Pranks Guild. The SUBDPPG.
Our members are mostly local, a few of the Richies mob and of course a smattering from Auckland Transport. Mark my words, these are some old school pranksters.
There was quite a buzz in the hall as we greeted each other, ate our packed lunch sandwiches and drank our Thermos tea.
These drivers are legendary. Routes were named after them. Hell, roads were renamed after them!
For example, Route 170 was once driven by Nick Cowoski. Yes, Nick Cowoski of Waikaraka Park Speedway fame. Legend has it he could four wheel drift old number 464, the 1953 Leyland Royal Tiger (now in Motat by the way) from the roundabout to just past Kohu Road. And that old girl still had her original Wilson pre-select transmission!! He was so spectacular, people would say, "Wow. Did you SEE NICK DRIVE.” So named and nothing to do with scenery.
Leigh Wallace made Route 195 between New Lynn Interchange and the Green Bay shops the stuff of folklore.
During the great flood of 1959, Leigh was driving a lightweight Saunder-Roe bodied Daimler. Approaching Craigavon Park corner, she faced a rapidly raising road-top lake. A number of school children were trapped in the park.
Leigh, always quick of mind and blessed with a very athletic physique, donned her red pranksters nose, removed the fullwidth rear seat, and exited via the emergency back window. Single-handed, she somehow got the terrified children to clamber aboard the make-shift craft. The torrent carried them all the way past La Rosa Road before hitting the safety of high ground. Mrs Eva Grace, a shaken but very grateful
parent, when interview by The Fringe, said, “She’s a hero. A saint."
"How such a small, but well shaped woman managed that was a miracle," her husband added. "She turned that bus seat into a kind of life raft. She’s so strong. God Leigh rowed.” Hence, Godley Road.
Route 171 to Laingholm was once the total domain of that incredibly popular bus driver, none other than the music man himself, Harry hold-a-tune Harrison. Rumoured to be the 13th fastest beach horse rider, he drove the 1963 AEC RF 41-seater for many years. Out of his own pocket, he roof-fitted the public address speakers. On March 7, 1967 when Sandie Shaw released Puppet on a String, Harry hold-atune Harrison skilfully straddled his bus across the Langholm Drive/Warner Park Ave hairpin corner and cranked up the sound for all the locals to hear this marvellous song for the first time.
Many clambered aboard. Cheers of delight echoed up the valley.
He then drove along the beach-front with Puppet on a String reverberating across the harbour. Sandie Shaw is now an adopted Laingholmian. Hence, Sandy’s Parade.
I could go on and on regaling the uncountable public pranks by our stand-up bus driving members but some of them are already over an hour late for their route ...
Okay, one more quickie. When they named Dorothy Road, one of our less than stable (if I can put it that way) members, became very jealous of a certain Dorothy. Some say, although it was never proven, she intentionally and repeatedly ran down the street sign with her 1946, 214 cubic inch, petrolengined Bedford OB.
Eventually, perhaps to keep her happy, they created Karen Road.
So on behalf of the SUBDPPG. We thank you for your continued good humour and hilarious posts.
Later, Lizard.
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Not every member of the SUBDPPG escaped censure for their pranks ...
