WEST LYNN RICHMOND VILLAGE BUTCHER GOES - CHANGE NOT ALWAYS PROGRESS
Hoani Heremaia tried, but failed to sell West Lynn Organic Meats as a going concern, and is heading with his wife Cindy and their three children, to the big wide world of Oz. Ironically, Hoani bought the business from Brian Quinn, who also decamped to Australia in 2000. Butcher shops are a dying breed. Supermarkets, time constraints, the rise of vegetarianism, the increasing cost of meat meals, and some health questions around eating too much meat (strongly disputed by farmers, and other advocates of good lean beef, lamb, pork and chicken), have led to the closure of many inner city butcheries. The only other three local butcheries left are Westmere Butchery in Garnet Road, Grey Lynn Butchers on Great North Road and Superior Meats on Ponsonby Road. The closure of West Lynn brings to an end 117 years of continuous butcheries on the site, beginning with C. Norgrove, who originally owned the whole block. He either sold or lost the business during the 1930s depression, but the butcher shop remained. Hoani is sad to be leaving, but wants to give his young family a fresh start in Queensland. His 16 year old son, Kalum, is a very promising rugby and league player, who is dreaming of an NRL career. Hoani also bemoans the downturn in small business profitability. “Buying habits have changed,” he tells us. “People are eating more takeaways because they are working long hours and it is inconvenient to have to go home and spend several hours cooking a meal. Others have never learned how to cook anyway.” One stop shopping, especially at supermarkets, hasn’t helped small businesses either. Hoani Heremaia started at West Lynn with Brian Quinn in 1988, and has been there ever since. He won ‘butcher of the year’ in the Metro 2011 awards, and was in the Top 5 in 2010. He is grateful for the loyal locals he has met and fed over those years, and
photography: John Elliott
Greater Ponsonby is the home of the modern cafe. Now the historic West Lynn Organic Meats has closed and the new owner will not be running a butchery in West Lynn. Not all change is progress. But the new owner has promised to keep the historic tiled facade (inside and out) to the shop.
will miss many of those customers. However, he says as West Lynn has gentrified and house prices have reached a million dollars, many old customers have sold up and left. And now, Soho, Farro Fresh, Ponsonby Central, and of course supermarkets, have cut the guts out of the butchery business. The dollar spend is now spread very thin. Many of us have enjoyed Hoani’s sense of humour and great personal service over these years and we will miss him. I will miss our regular chats about race horses, slow or slower. I was very jealous when he had a share in a very good winner, while my investments either died or ran so slowly they were quickly retired. I don’t think any found their way into Hoani’s freezer, but they may have been in pet food cans readers may have bought for their moggy. Ponsonby News asked Hoani Heremaia to name a highlight of his 24 years at West Lynn Butchery. He didn’t hesitate, “Being the first Auckland butcher to offer organic meat.” The Heremaia family is looking forward to their new venture in Australia, they will miss their many friends, but they leave with fond memories of West Lynn. One suggestion Hoani. Get a big house so we can all come over to stay when winter hits Auckland. We’ll miss you mate. (JOHN ELLIOTT) PN
WEST LYNN’S NATURE BABY IN ETHICAL FASHION SHOW LOCAL LABELS NATURE BABY AND MIRANDA BROWN WILL JOIN WE’AR, Starfish and Kowtow on the runway at New Zealand’s first ethical fashion show, to take place on Friday 23 November at 7pm at The Cloud on Queen’s Wharf. The $30 fashion show ticket price includes a goody bag and a glass of sustainable wine. The ethical fashion show is part of the Sustainable City Showcase, to be held on 22-24 November. The wider event (organised by the Sustainable Business Network in conjunction with Waterfront Auckland) is free and open to the public, and will allow visitors to take a tour through a sustainable pop-up city to view and interact with the latest designs, products and technology. CEO of the SBN Rachel Brown says that the Sustainable City Showcase is a unique opportunity to experience the latest thinking in sustainable living. “120 businesses and innovators will come together under one roof to create a buzzing marketplace, cleverly arranged into zones of a sustainable city,” she says. The zones are Transport, Lifestyle, Fashion & Beauty, Workplace, and Food. There will also be the Conscious Commute: on Friday 23 November between 7.30am and 9.00am, the GreenFleet Conscious Commute will be celebrating sustainable commuters by offering a free coffee to the first 200 conscious commuters. Delicious organic breakfast treats will be available to purchase from Ripe Deli and Kokako. The event’s Saturday also promises the world’s biggest Carrotmob - wherein a group of people offer to spend their money to support a business, and in return the business agrees to make an improvement that the people care about. Gather at the Showcase at 11am and show your support for local, ethical businesses by purchasing one of their sustainable products. In return, participating businesses will donate a proportion of their takings to Garden to Table, an organisation that teaches children how to grow their own food. PN On Sunday there will be a day of educational activities and games for children. SUSTAINABLE CITY SHOWCASE www.sustainablecity.org.nz
44 PONSONBY NEWS+ November 2012
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