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JUNE 2022
FOR THE LOVE OF THE BIKE.
MY RIDE GREY LYNN'S DAN BYE ON AUCKLAND'S GROWING CYCLING COMMUNITY - P10
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LETTERS & EMAILS
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FROM THE EDITOR
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DAVID HARTNELL: ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW
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FOR THE LOVE OF THE BIKE
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PIPPA COOM
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CHLÖE SWARBRICK: MP AUCKLAND CENTRAL
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MELISSA LEE
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MIKE LEE
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ROSS THORBY: CRUISING ON LAND
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HELEN WHITE, LABOUR LIST MP
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PREDICT WEATHER.COM
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PONSONBY PARK
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HELENE RAVLICH: WINTER TRAVEL
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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY
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GREY LYNN FARMERS MARKET
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LIVING, THINKING + BEING
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FASHION + STYLE
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Advertising Sales: JO BARRETT M: 021 324 510 joannebarrett@xtra.co.nz
FUTURE GENERATION
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PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS
Advertising Sales/Ad Designer: MELISSA PAYNTER M: 027 938 4111 melissapaynter@me.com
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HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS
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ARTS & CULTURE
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STREAMING GUIDE JUNE 2022
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THE PONSONBY PINK PAGES
P10 - For the love of the bike: Meet the team at My Ride
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: Connor Crawford
PONSONBY NEWS is published monthly, excluding January by: ALCHEMY MEDIA LIMITED, P.O. BOX 47-282 Ponsonby, Auckland 1144, T: 09 378 8553, www.ponsonbynews.co.nz PONSONBY NEWS is printed on paper sourced from sustainable, well managed forests and manufactured under the environmental management system ISO 14001.
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Grey Lynn - Mark Erikson, Dan Bye and Leo Dottridge.
Editor/Publisher: MARTIN LEACH M: 021 771 147 martinleach@xtra.co.nz or martin@ponsonbynews.co.nz Distribution Manager: JAY PLATT M: 021 771 146 jayplatt@xtra.co.nz or jay@ponsonbynews.co.nz Ad Sales & Contributing editor: ANDREA KAHUKIWA M: 021 689 688 andrea@ponsonbynews.co.nz
Operations Manager: GWYNNE DAVENPORT M: 021 150 4095 gwynne@ponsonbynews.co.nz Contributing Music Editor: Finn McLennan-Elliott M: 021 134 4101 finn.huia@gmail.com Contributing Editor: JOHN ELLIOTT M: 021 879 054 johnelliott38@outlook.com Graphic Designer: ARNA MARTIN M: 021 354 984 arna@cocodesign.co.nz Annual Subscriptions: Within New Zealand $49. By cheque or credit card in NZ$. Please note: we do not hold back issues of Ponsonby News. Our archive is all online as pdfs. Please visit www.ponsonbynews.co.nz The entire content of this publication is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechaal, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without the prior permission, in writing, of the copyright owner. Colour transparencies and manuscripts submitted are sent at the owner’s risk; neither the publisher nor its agents accept any responsibility for loss or damage. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher can accept no liability for any inaccuracies that may occur. PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
Photo: Connor Crawford
INSIDE THIS MONTH
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LOVING, LIVING & SELLING GREATER PONSONBY
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LETTERS & EMAILS
HAVE YOU NOTICED ALL OF THE CCTV CAMERAS POPPING UP AROUND OUR STREETS OVER NIGHT?
Any idea on who put them up? We certainly haven't had any notice in writing as to why this has happend. If it's to catch criminals, sweet. But if it's for AT to collect revenue then they can get back on the horse they rode in on. It's hard enough trying to work in my own area with the current camera car regime and daily ticketing of my business vehicles. Any ideas or help would be appreciated. Name suppled but withheld IT NEEDS TO STOP: THIEVES TARGET HISTORIC AUCKLAND DOMAIN STATUE Chair of the Auckland Domain Committee, Councillor Desley Simpson, on the theft and vandalism of The Valkyrie Fountain.
Last week, I was devastated to hear that one of Auckland’s most beloved public artworks had been the target of a recent ram raid attack and damaged beyond repair.
Annette firstly and always was an artist, admired and respected for her portrait and landscape paintings who once said, “I’d like to feel my paintings are visual poems”. But she was also a staunch community protector of our environment and a proponent for the conservation and sensitive care of the forest in Western Springs and for planting native trees under a maintained existing pine canopy. Annette’s late husband Eddie Isbey (1917-1995) was Labour Member of Parliament for Grey Lynn and then Papatoetoe, so Annette’s political skills were well-honed, and she continued always to work for the betterment of those around her. Her grand and beautiful landscapes spoke to her feelings for our place and her monumental portraits to her feelings for people. Rest In Peace. Louise Rive, Westmere
The Valkyrie Fountain, which was created by sculpture Gilbert Bayes in 1912, has been a popular centrepiece in Pukekawa /Auckland Domain since it was gifted to Auckland almost 100 years ago. The fountain, which is valued at over $160,000, was first shown at an exhibition of garden sculpture held by the Royal Horticultural Society in England in 1928. In 1930, while living in London, former Auckland artist Richard Sydney Hellaby, son of the well-known butcher Richard Hellaby, presented the fountain as a gift to Auckland. It has been housed off Garden Road ever since. Following a spate of similar attacks, the fountain recently fell victim to thieves who ramraided their way through bollards and cut the bolts on the protective fence to steal the bronze statue of the Valkyrie (a mythical female deity) which sits atop the fountain, while damaging the marble base, which also depicts Valkyries on horseback, beyond repair. This senseless attack on historical and significant public property is heart-breaking and in no way justifiable. In Tāmaki Makaurau, we are lucky to have a number of beloved public artworks that can be enjoyed for free by Aucklanders and visitors alike. This is a privilege not seen in other areas of the world and is not one that should be taken for granted. This is just one of the attacks on public art that have taken place in recent months, and we are working closely with the Police to find those responsible. We are also looking at what more can be done to stop incidents like this from happening again. I implore anyone with any information about these incidents, or if you spot any suspicious behaviour, to please contact the Police on 105 or call the council on 09 301 0101. Together, we can put an end to this mindless behaviour, and ensure we can all enjoy Auckland’s unique art collection for many more years to come. Desley Simpson, JP
Auckland Councillor, Chair, Auckland Domain Committee LOCAL ARTIST ANNETTE ISBEY HAS DIED ON 16 MAY 2022
Born in 1927, Annette Isbey enriched our neighbourhood by her presence, and we were lucky to have her strength and focus as an advocate for community.
MEMORIES OF PINES - BOB ORR FOR ANNETTE ISBEY
They painted fantastic clouds in the sky. Above Western Springs they sometimes set my world adrift — their bitter sweet tang like the hearts of sailors exiled on earth. Their murmurings sheeted my hours into poems. Above the small horse shoe of Westview Road the earth just a way of their leaving the sky nothing more than the time of the day. Have you listened to their stories of a past and a future both speeding towards us. Navigators of the night and wanderers of the day swaying to and fro working the breeze even amongst many each a singularity of self their shadows like fingers pointing out our tin roofs. They were never Dante’s allegorical forest of mid life crisis. Their needles were gills parting to the flow of a blue world — I’m sure that they too had on a Greek Island once stood sentinel awaiting the black boats of Odysseus. At Motuihe they stood on a headland above a naval cemetery halfway between the horizon and the city. Those blue green presences that sometimes sigh like oceans that breathe like life itself might breathe — every day they kept adding new clouds to the sky. I guess I never knew I was living with giants. CONTINUED P27
Opinions expressed in Ponsonby News are not always the opinion of Alchemy Media Limited & Ponsonby News.
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
FROM THE EDITOR
“Cycling has seen a resurgence in Auckland over the last few years; COVID lockdowns’ contributing to people grabbing bikes out of the back of the shed and garage and rediscovering the feeling of the wind in their hair and the sense of freedom associated with cycling. There are scores of people adding cycling back into their repertoire of regular leisure and exercise activities over the last two years,” says Dan Bye, owner of My Ride Grey Lynn, one of the area’s latest cycle stores and one that aims to be a key part of the local cycling community. We received sad news last month to hear of the passing of local artist and forest protector, Annette Isbey. This local cultural icon was deeply distressed by the destruction of her much-loved Western Springs Forest. Annette had contacted the Waitematā Local Board a number of times about the poor condition of the Western Springs walking track and offroad bikes which were damaging the native forest. Helene Ravlich has some suggestions for a winter, get up and go. Despite the stellar weather we’ve experienced over the autumn months, there’s no denying that winter will soon be at our doorsteps. If you’re dreaming of a much-needed escape, here’s a little inspiration for your next getaway, both close to home and a little farther away. There are four options for consideration: Brisbane, Hawkes Bay, Queenstown and Parohe Island Retreat.
The St Mary’s Bay Association lodged a submission to Council on 9 May making the views of our community known and suggesting why we think they’ve got it wrong. Thank you to our community for their support. We urge you to join the St Marys Bay Association, if you haven’t already at www.stmarysbayassociation.nz. The Association will keep you regularly updated and welcomes your views, comments and feedback.
Save our heritage. Makes no bones about it, whether it’s termed Special Character Overlay or Heritage zoning, our heritage is under attack. St Mary’s Bay is one of Auckland’s oldest suburbs. In recent times, the Grade 1 listed Leys Institute has been mothballed (with re instatement works put in the slow lane) and now the very essence of our community is threatened with annihilation by the NPS-UD (National Policy Statement – Urban Development).
With this issue we send our thoughts and love to our colleague John Elliott, who is currently being treated at Auckland Hospital. Pictured above: Vicki Taylor, Kevin Thorne and Martin Leach. We were at The Shelter in Mackelvie Street for the opening of Kevin Thorne's jewellery business, which is based at the back of the store. (MARTIN LEACH) PN
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09 360 0166 ponsonby@sba.co.nz PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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LOCAL NEWS
DAVID HARTNELL:
ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW WITH DEBORAH CALDWELL Deborah Caldwell is the CEO and Creative Director for STORM. She recently opened their brand-new concept store in Grey Lynn. When did you first take an interest in fashion styling?
Over 30 years ago! I was naturally drawn to it. How long has Storm been around?
Storm has been around for the past 15 years. What do like most about living in Ponsonby?
Ponsonby is so close to everything and has a great energy. How have you survived the pandemic and has it changed your life in any way?
It’s changed everyone’s life. I’ve survived by holding onto the steering wheel with both hands and not sweating the small stuff. What was your childhood like?
I grew up out West in a sporty family. Please complete the sentence: I will die happy if...
my son follows and achieves his dreams. What is your favorite TV series and why?
Right now – Killing Eve. I love the quirky acting and fashion styling of Villanelle. Where would your dream holiday internationally be?
Describe one of your biggest disappointments in life?
Anywhere tropical and luxurious.
Not buying that one pair of shoes.
What’s on your bucket list?
If you won a million dollars what is the first thing you would do?
I don’t have one. I like to live in the now and enjoy each day to the maximum. What do you think the most Kiwi thing about you is?
Share it with my family. What really motivates you?
My gumboots.
Being around passionate people.
So where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
What do you think happens when we die?
Living in Europe part-time is the dream. What job would you do other than your own and why?
Something in the music industry. I’ve always wanted to be in a band. If you were reincarnated, what would you like to be reincarnated as?
Something with wings – maybe a butterfly. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My eyebrows.
We get to hang out with our old friends and family and laugh about the past. Give your teenaged self some advice.
Listen to your parents! They do actually know best. At the end of a long day how do you chill out?
Gin with friends! Which item of clothing can't you live without?
Always boots. What is your favorite time of the day?
Do you read movie or TV reviews and would they sway your thought?
Hot sunny afternoons.
No – I ask friends!
What would your dream home be like?
How would you like to be remembered by your friends and family?
As kind, compassionate, fun, and energetic. What do you love most about your age?
Indoor/outdoor flow, music through the whole house, and a massive wardrobe. What is your most treasured possession?
Family jewellery and photos.
With age comes experience, and as you get older you become more accepting.
What are you insecure about?
If your life was an ice cream, what would it be called?
Tell us something very few people know about you?
A STORM sundae.
I studied to be a vet.
What is something that you really disapprove of?
What is your greatest fear in life and why?
Knocking other people down.
Elevators – I’m claustrophobic. (DAVID HARTNELL, MNZM)
8 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
Nothing.
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N Z S OT H E B YS R E A LT Y.C O M Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Browns Real Estate Ltd (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.
LOCAL NEWS
CYCLING HAS SEEN A RESURGENCE IN AUCKLAND OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS... Covid-19 lockdowns have been a significant contributor to Aucklanders grabbing bikes out of the back of the shed or garage and rediscovering the wind in their hair and the sense of freedom associated with cycling. Scores of people have added cycling back into their regular repertoire of leisure and exercise activities. Amongst this increase in cycling activity and opening at 376 Great North Road in Grey Lynn at the end of '21, My Ride Grey Lynn is the area’s latest cycle shop and one that aims to be a key and valuable part of the local cycling community. The store is locally owned, with owner Dan Bye addressing a gap in the market in the local area. “In recent years cycling has been in definite growth as a sport,” says Dan, “but with a lot of the established stores playing to a particular niche or specialist area of the sport and not servicing the wider cycling community. “Our aim with My Ride Grey Lynn is to have a specialist store that caters to all aspects of cycling from super-casual leisure cycling, kids first bikes, through to schools racing, and from commuting cyclists to hardcore road and mountain bikers as well an emerging gravel and adventure cycling segment.” You only need to look overseas to see cycling has fast evolved from being a niche leisure activity and if Melbourne, Sydney or even cold and wet London are indicative of where cycling culture could go in Auckland, we are at the start of a boom where cycling rapidly evolves from niche to mass participation. Ponsonby, Grey Lynn and the surrounding suburbs are well placed to be at the forefront of this change, with significant investments from multiple different parties in the infrastructure that services the local cycling community. Locally, Grey Lynn pump track has fast become known as being one of the best in Auckland, unknown to many there is a brilliant set of mountain bike trails in Arch Hill which have
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been painstakingly maintained and upgraded by Auckland Mountain Bike club and we also have one of Auckland’s leading road cycling clubs with Grey Lynn Cycling Club building a fearsome reputation as being one of the fastest bunches to ride with in the greater Auckland area. You also only need to look at the investment that is being made in upgrading existing cycle lanes along the Northwestern motorway as well as planned new dedicated cycle paths along Great North Road, Meola Road and other key transport routes to see how cycling is destined to play a greater role in urban mobility, particularly for those looking to commute via bike. Electric bikes (or e-bikes as they are more commonly known) are a key part of this, with numbers of e-bikes imported into NZ growing steadily from 23,000 in 2017 to 75,000 in 2021; with many Aucklanders' choosing to both reduce carbon emissions on their daily commute as well as avoiding the need to sit in Auckland peak time traffic. “E-bikes are a real game changer and an increasingly popular purchase with both leisure cyclists and commuters; no one wants to roll into work looking like a hot sweaty mess first thing in the morning and with motor assistance taking away a lot of the strain, e-bikes are key for people to be able to hop off the bike feeling comfortable to sit straight down at a desk or workstation,” says Dan. “We are seeing significant interest from customers wanting to make a small personal change that adds up to a significant increase in carbon reduction, cuts down their commute time and helps fit some light exercise into a trip that is otherwise a
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
chore - that’s all before we even talk about the current state of petrol prices.” Many employers have also noticed this shift and are increasing their facilities with more bike spaces available to employees as well as adding in showers and lockers to make life that bit easier for the commuting cyclist. Another area that is a key aspect of My Ride Grey Lynn is their workshop offering, with the store having a team of mechanics on hand to take the hassle out of the rider's hands and to take care of the servicing aspect of any type, make and model of bike. “Along with the advances in technology that make bikes easier and more enjoyable to ride, bikes are actually getting more and more complex” says Dan. “We have a full workshop that will look after the smallest of jobs, from fixing a puncture or changing a tyre or a chain, all the way through to getting a bike prepped for an epic adventure such as the Tour Aotearoa or a high-end custom bikebuild.” “I think that there is a bit of a misnomer” says Dan. “We don’t have the workshop to just service what we sell, we see it as a resource for all of the local area to ensure that their bikes are running smoothly and safely as well as to make any needed or desired upgrades to their favourite bikes.”
confident in the fact that My Ride Grey Lynn has a comprehensive selection of bikes and hasn’t been too adversely impacted by the well-publicised global supply chain issues. "We are fortunate to have an extensive range of bikes instore and we’re confident that we are better placed than the chain stores who are suffering with not having bikes to actually sell and customers having to settle for some really long lead times to get onto a new bike.” Lastly Dan adds, “We are a team of passionate cyclists and we see our job is to bring that passion and knowledge for bikes and cycling and offer all of our customers the right level of expertise and advice no matter what they are looking to buy from the store.” My Ride Grey Lynn is located at 376 Great North Road, Grey Lynn and has an extensive range of bikes from brands like Scott and Avanti as well as the area's most extensive range of helmets, clothing and accessories for cyclists of all abilities. MY RIDE GREY LYNN, 376 Great North Road, T: 09 222 2341, E: greylynn@myride.co.nz
Photo: Connor Crawford
In terms of bike stock Dan is pragmatic and upbeat. “We have a great relationship with our suppliers,” says Dan, who is
PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
11
LOCAL NEWS
First ride on Auckland's newest shared path
PIPPA COOM:
BOLD DECISION MAKING NEEDED TO UNLEASH AUCKLAND’S POTENTIAL Tāmaki Makaurau has had an aspiration to deliver a safe, connected cycling network since the former Auckland Regional Council signed off plans in the mid-2000s which were then adopted in the Supercity’s first Auckland Plan. Since then, funding and delivery has been patchy and compared to many cities worldwide, Auckland’s cycling mode share by distance and trips remains low at 0.4 percent and 0.5 percent respectively. This is often blamed on the weather and the hills, however international studies show that the biggest factor to determine cycling rates is the availability of safe, connected cycling infrastructure. E-bikes further neutralise the effect of Auckland’s geography making riding a viable transport option across our region. We also know there is huge demand to be able to cycle safely. Where cycleways are built, riders flock to them, for example, our North Western Cycleway has had a ridership increase of 128 percent between 2015 and 2019 (as measured at Kingsland). Most Aucklanders own a bike and a recent survey found 56 percent of Aucklanders would cycle (or cycle more often) if it felt safe. There is often the misconception that the push is to get everyone onto bikes for every trip. This isn’t desirable or practicable. To achieve Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri Auckland’s climate plan transport emissions reduction target of 64 percent by 2030 we need to aim for at least seven percent cycle mode share by distance. This perhaps sounds like a lot, but it might mean using a bike or e-scooter for just a couple of trips a week or for every trip under two kilometres. It is also about making it safe for kids to get to school independently so we can take a big chunk of the approximately 40,0000 school drop-off trips off the road each day. It is important to acknowledge there will always be a place for cars to be used in Tāmaki Makaurau, and the good news is more people cycling eases congestion for those who need to drive. It frees up space on our roads for essential trips and freight. More people cycling not only improves liveability, public health, and air quality, it is also good for business and the local economy.
Safe, connected infrastructure benefits everyone, including the 30 percent of Aucklanders who don’t drive or can’t drive. Cycleways, wider footpaths and safer connections between our various modes of transport makes our city more accessible for everyone. The idea that roads are just for cars because of “congestion” locks us into transport planning that induces more demand for driving making congestion worse. It is also unfair. So what is happening to deliver the cycling network – now called the Cycling and Micromobility Network – and provide Aucklanders real options to leave the car at home? $306m has already been allocated in the Regional Land Transport Plan unanimously approved by councillors and supported by all local boards last year to deliver cycling infrastructure over the next ten years. On 5 May the Planning Committee considered the prioritisation of that funding to provide 45 kilometres of safe cycle facilities, as well as concentrated investment in local cycle connections in four key areas. Even though completing the Network is great value for money, it wasn’t a meeting to approve funding and no additional funding was approved. But what we do know is that more funding will be needed to reach the seven percent cycle mode share by distance goal (estimated to be at least $2 billion) as well as a range of significant policy changes at a national level. By endorsing the direction of Auckland Transport’s Cycling and Micromobility Programme Business Case, a majority of councillors have acknowledged the type of investment which will be needed in order to achieve our ambitious cycling mode shift target by 2030. Significantly more funding will be needed in coming years from both council and government along with some potentially difficult policy changes to shift New Zealanders’ transport behaviours. With bold decision making and smart urban public policy, Tāmaki Makaurau has the potential to unleash significant benefits for all Aucklanders. (PIPPA COOM) PN www.pippacoom.co.nz
12 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
Currently locking in Spring Campaigns... Brighter days abound. It all starts with a coffee. Jason Trowbridge 021 358 888 jtrowbridge.ponsonby@ljhooker.co.nz
JASON TROWBRIDGE in association with LJ Hooker Ponsonby
LJ Hooker Ponsonby Licensed Agent REAA 2008
LOCAL NEWS
CHLÖE SWARBRICK:
Auckland Central MP They say, “You can’t beat Wellington on a good day,” yet despite the gale force and rain, it was indeed a good day on Tuesday 17 May when I formally received the petition of Sunday Blessings and AUT law students asking food be recognised as the human right it is. This wasn’t just a petition of more than 2,000 New Zealanders received by Green MPs, but the vision we’ve put into active practice over the last few months. By the time you’re reading this, our grassroots collaboration with Sunday Blessings and Student Volunteer Army will have ensured nearly 3,000 hot meals got to those who need them throughout the Omicron outbreak. This kai was largely diverted from landfill. In a country of five million, which professes to feed 40 million and simultaneously throws out 271 jumbo jets worth of food every single year, people going hungry is a political choice. This is why we must push ahead, much bolder, further and faster with the programme instigated by my colleague Hon. Eugenie Sage in the last term of Parliament, where as Associate Minister of Waste, she got the ball rolling on the national strategy for waste. This mahi was bolstered by the recent announcement of the Emissions Reduction Plan spearheaded by Green Co-Leader and Minister for Climate Change, Hon. James Shaw, which commits the government to supporting every household and business to prevent food waste, ensuring most households have access to curbside food waste collection by 2030 and massive investment in composting and resource recovery facilities. Zooming out on that Emissions Reduction Plan, the associated Budget released later that week and the ongoing work our community finds ourselves mucking in on to support the structurally marginalised, it’s no secret things would look rather radically more progressive were the Greens to have more influence in Parliament.
This interconnection and the associated fight will play out likely a bit more publicly than usual over the next few months in the lead up to the local body election. Government’s National Policy Statement on Urban Development and Medium Density Residential Standards are soon required to translate into Council’s amendments to the Auckland Unitary Plan. I encourage anyone who is interested to look back at December 2021’s Hansard records of Parliamentary debates, where the Greens sought to improve design, environmental and community outcomes with several Supplementary Order Papers. Each were voted down.
A beautiful insight into the legacy of those Green values, policies and actions goes public this June, with the launch of my former colleague and friend, Gareth Hughes’ book on Jeanette Fitzsimons, Gentle Radical.
It’s important to remember that changes to planning rules do not force anyone to do anything with their properties. This is about future-proofing the regulations so that more housing can be built – without requiring more sprawl, more carbon emissions and greater destruction to the healthy soils so necessary for food resilience. Actually getting that housing built, let alone affordably, is a whole other issue.
I had the privilege to be some of the first eyes on the book in order to write the foreword. It never fails to boggle my mind that we still seem to be fighting some of the same fights thirty years on - fights for recognition of the interconnected wellbeing of people and planet, despite gaining ground inch by inch.
Reflection on these issues, our place in the world and more, could not more aptly find their place at the rising of a cluster known as Te Kāhui o Matariki. In celebration, June 24th heralds our nation’s first uniquely Te Ao Māori public holiday, Matariki, the start of the Māori New Year. (CHLÖE SWARBRICK) PN
CHLÖE SWARBRICK, T: 09 378 4810, E: chloe.swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz www.greens.org.nz/chloe_swarbrick
Kia ora Ponsonby! Let’s talk about our community. Get in touch about any local issues or if you need support. I’m here to help and would love to hear from you.
Chlöe Swarbrick MP for Auckland Central
09 378 4810 chloe.swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz Funded by Parliamentary Service. Authorised by Chlöe Swarbrick, Green MP for Auckland Central, 76 Karangahape Rd, Auckland.
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
TO THE LANE WE GO Inviting you in from Richmond Road, INCA’s Nikkei cuisine by Nic Watt leads you into our new laneway. Construction is complete and over the coming months new shops and eateries will emerge with our full reveal expected in October. As well as the addition of new faces, some of our existing favourites are pushing through the back wall and spilling out into the lane offering outdoor dining options.
INCA - Babiche Martens
TO THE MARKET WE GO General Collective Winter Market
General Collective and Ponsonby Central began a beautiful friendship back in 2015 and have since been offering a unique boutique market experience right in the heart of Ponsonby. Weave your way through the eateries and head upstairs to The Sapphire Room which comes alive with a showcase of New Zealand designed homewares, fashion, toys, jewellery, skincare and more! ponsonby_central generalcollective
WINTER
MARKET
SUNDAY 19TH JUNE 10AM - 2PM SAPPHIRE ROOM, PONSONBY CENTRAL
Buildings designed for creativity Heritage and modern buildings, future proofed to operate in a changing environment. Discover quality commercial property leasing locally.
forlease.co.nz 09 522 0039
CONNOR CRAWFORD I am a working artist and photographer with a colourful and rhythmic perspective. I enjoy shooting the front covers of Ponsonby News.
DAVID HARTNELL - MNZM For the last 53 years I’ve been a freelance entertainment journalist and author. I’ve lived in the Grey Lynn area for nearly three decades; I have met and interviewed some amazing people.
FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT I work as a booker, promoter and festival programmer. Active in all areas of the music community; folk music is my specialty.
HONOUR MITCHELL I have lived in the Ponsonby area all of my life. I write the column ‘Teen Picks’ which explores everything on offer in the greater Ponsonby area.
HELENE RAVLICH A freelance writer and copywriter for almost 20 years, I have written for publications all over the world and couldn’t imagine myself in any other job.
JOHN APPLETON I have a keen interest in nutritional medicine and how it may be used to support people with chronic illnesses.
OUR CONTRIBUTORS
IT’S A TEAM EFFORT... WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT OUR CONTRIBUTORS KEN RING My yearly NZ Weather Almanacs began in 1999. During the tragic 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, my work created international interest. I currently live in Ponsonby.
KERRY LEE I’ve been a freelance writer for a year now, and what I love most are the wonderful people I’ve meet along the way. #best job.
LUCY KENNEDY I am a young local writer who loves to read! Each month you will find my reviews of new books for people who love to read as much as I do.
PHIL PARKER Journalist and published author, I have had a career involving both wine writing and hosting boutique wine tours in the Auckland region.
PIPPA COOM
I am Councillor for Waitemat-a and Gulf Ward on Auckland Council. Formerly, Chair Waitemat-a Local Board.
ROSS THORBY I have had a wanderlust for travel ever since I was old enough to own a passport. Since I discovered cruising, I have become unstoppable.
JOHN ELLIOTT
SOFIA ROGER WILLIAMS
I am the founder of Ponsonby News and write for the magazine. My career has included politics, education and publishing. My interests include the environment, the economy and social justice.
A vegan for over a year and vegetarian for over seven years with a passion for writing. I am a local student reviewing some of Ponsonby’s best vegan eats.
Join us on Sundays at 2pm... for our weekly service including demonstrations of clairvoyance.
25 New North Road, Eden Terrace / www.goldenlight.org.nz PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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LOCAL NEWS
MELISSA LEE:
BUDGET 2022 We’ve just heard Budget 2022 being delivered. Labour’s backwards budget will do nothing to help struggling Kiwis, their families and businesses during the cost of living crisis. It’s confirmed that New Zealand is going backwards under Labour faster than ever. Finance Minister Grant Robertson needed to focus this Budget on helping the squeezed middle to overcome the escalating cost of living crisis and stop Kiwis falling further and further behind. But it’s clear he’s failed. Instead what Grant Robertson has delivered is a backwards budget. Kiwis, the economy and outcomes are all going backwards under Labour and the Budget forecasts confirm the situation is only going to get worse. New Zealand is experiencing the worst cost of living crisis in a generation. Inflation is at a 30-year-high, expected to run rampant for years to come, and wages aren’t keeping up. Mortgage costs are up because of rising interest rates, rent is up $140 per week, food price inflation is the highest in a decade at 6.4 per cent, and petrol is up over $3.00 per litre. More and more Kiwis are falling behind each week, squeezed by growing costs and a government that refuses to offer them meaningful income tax relief while ramming through the biggest spend-up in New Zealand history. Labour’s temporary cost of living package will do little to support Kiwi households through the cost of living crisis. It is band-aid economics made up on the fly, with even Treasury warning the Government that the one-off cost of living payment is a poor mechanism for addressing a long-term problem. The squeezed middle are paying the price for Labour’s economic mismanagement and if you are on the average wage of $72,000 or higher, you will get nothing under Labour. Under National’s tax plan to inflation-adjust tax brackets, someone on the average wage would get $860 every year. This would allow Kiwis to keep more of what they earn. But Labour wants to keep the extra tax revenue because they are addicted to spending, which means the government books are also going backwards. Not only did Labour give themselves an extra $6 billion for this Budget – the biggest ever spend-up in New Zealand’s history – but they’ve also raided future budgets. They are
spending $2 billion from Budget 2023 and $0.4 billion from Budget 2024. And that’s before you count climate spending and the cost-of-living band-aid which are on top of all that, taking the total spend-up to more than $9 billion per year of government spending. Yet there’s little to show for it, with no clear plan or targets for delivering better outcomes for New Zealanders. Under Labour, wait times for surgery and specialist assessments have blown out, literacy and numeracy achievement rates have hit alarming lows and violent crime and gang numbers have exploded. They’ve added more than 10,000 bureaucrats to the public service, yet outcomes are getting worse. New Zealand needs a government with financial discipline and a culture where government cares about how every single dollar is spent and the outcomes it will achieve. Kiwis across the country are having to tighten their belts and look after every dollar they’re spending and the government should be doing the same. New Zealand is going backwards, fast. We simply cannot afford this Labour Government. (MELISSA LEE MP) PN National Spokesperson for Broadcasting & Media| Digital Economy and Communications | Ethnic Communities E: mplee@parliament.govt.nz Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
If you require any assistance I and my office are always happy and ready to provide advice and support Please get in touch on 09 520 0538 or at MPLee@parliament.govt.nz to make an appointment.
Melissa Lee National List MP based in Auckland MPLee@parliament.govt.nz • melissalee.co.nz •
mpmelissalee
Funded by the Parliamentary Service. Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.
18 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
30 Safe speed limits save lives The Ponsonby and Freemans Bay community have asked for safe speeds on some local roads. We have listened and speed limits on some roads are changing to 30km/h on 21 July 2022. Did you know? 30km/h is the internationally accepted speed to reduce people walking and cycling being killed or seriously injured. Two out of three serious injuries on Auckland’s roads happen to people outside vehicles.
Check out your local roads new safe speed limit at AT.govt.nz/speedchanges
Death and injury risk percentages Impact Speed Km/h
Death Percentage Risk
S I N C E
D E S I G N E D
1 9 9 6
A N D
H A N D
C R A F T E D
I N
N E W
Z E A L A N D
email melissa.bowman@apartmento.co.nz web apartmento.co.nz 8 Ponsonby Road, Auckland
NEW
Monty Sofa Our new modular sofa, made in New Zealand. Available in a wide range of configurations and fabrics.
LOCAL NEWS
JUNO GIN DISTILLERY Jo and Dave James founders of Juno Gin hope to attract gin enthusiasts from across the country to explore their newly refurbished cellar door and tasting room in New Plymouth. “We are a boutique distillery creating award-winning gin that was born out of a love for the spirit,” says Jo. “Our Juno gin is available for purchase online and in specialist boutique bars and restaurants. The vision is to create a very personal experience for guests travelling to the New Plymouth region.” There are several tour options, including The Taster Tour, which incorporates a distillery walk and boutique gin taster. For a deeper dive into all things Juno there is a Full Distillery Tour that includes canapes and cocktails on arrival. The cellar door is designed to host events and parties, ideal for larger groups or corporate retreats. The distillery tours take the time to talk through Juno founders personal approach to producing gin while Juno share the process of how they infuse botanicals into the spirits as well as any interesting liquors that Juno are working on at the time. The Juno Gin Cellar Door is open six days a week retailing Juno Gin at exclusive cellar door prices.
22 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
Visit www.junogin.co.nz to book a visit.
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
#Molteni Group SURF SEATING SYSTEM - VINCENT VAN DUYSEN
www.dawsonandco.nz
LOCAL NEWS
BACK TO NORMAL AT PONSONBY COMMUNITY CENTRE We are feeling a lot more ‘back to normal’ here at the Ponsonby Community Centre! While we are still encouraging mask use and good hygiene practices, we are now able to welcome back full capacity numbers for our venue hire rooms. Check out our revamped website for more information or email info@ponsonbycommunity.org.nz. New programmes for this term include a preschool sport programme at the 20 Ponsonby Terrace building and the 52 Hepburn St building (Freemans Bay Hall) – both free to attend! Please register through the above email address though as there are limited spaces. • Ponsonby Terrace sessions – Tuesdays 12pm – 1pm (after Ponsonby Playgroup) • Hepburn Street sessions – Fridays 9:30 – 10:30am (in the auditorium) We have also had awesome fun with the kids school holiday crafty classes over Easter and hope to keep offering them each school holiday period.
Check our facebook page for events - @ponsycommunity www.ponsonbycommunity.org.nz 09 37 81752, E: info@ponsonbycommunity.org.nz
www.ponsonbycommunity.org.nz/venue-hire
24 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
Specialist Obstetricians. Auckland Obstetric Centre is a unique practice in Parnell made up of six leading specialist obstetricians and support staff. Together we have many years of experience and feel privileged to be able to share in the care of women during their pregnancy. To find out more about how we can care for you and your baby call our team or visit our website.
09 367 1200 obstetrics.co.nz
LOCAL NEWS
Te Arai Regional Park purchased by the ARC in 2008 for the people of Auckland
MIKE LEE: OP-ED If you thought what Auckland Council is doing at Western Springs and at Dove-Myer Robinson Park with the national Erebus memorial, was pretty bad, what’s been planned for our regional parks and the Hauraki Gulf is even more concerning. Auckland’s 28 regional parks have long been considered the ‘jewels in the crown’, the pride and joy of Aucklanders with an outstanding international reputation. Originally the creation of visionary regional politicians like Dove-Myer Robinson, managed by uniformed park rangers, they are an iconic part of Auckland’s beach and bush lifestyle. In my years of service for Auckland, especially as the chair of ARC regional parks committee (1992-1995) and chairman of the ARC (2004-2010), I was involved with the acquisition of about one third of these regional parks, some of which were enormously difficult to achieve. I also worked with PM Helen Clark in 2009 to amend the Local Government Act to ensure our regional parks were protected in public ownership in perpetuity. Unfortunately Auckland Council, true to form, has again been floating the idea of effectively breaking up the regional parks network. Hidden away in its 460 page Regional Parks Management Plan which went out for consultation late last year is policy 45, to ‘investigate’ the formal transfer of 20 (or 21) coastal parks, including much-loved Tawharanui, Wenderholm and Long Bay, as well as the Hunua Ranges, including five water storage lakes, into the DOC managed Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. This amounts to 17,700 ha of land owned by the people of Auckland, much of it priceless coastal real estate. The planned transfer is in response to a written request in October 2020 from the ‘co-chairs’ of the Hauraki Gulf Forum, Nicola MacDonald and Cr Pippa Coom - without any authority at that time from the Forum. But here’s the kicker, the proposed move is happening at the same time the very same people are lobbying the government to transform the Hauraki Gulf Forum into a ‘co-governed’ Hauraki Gulf authority, and for the ‘removal of the ‘Marine Park concept’’. In plain English - abolishing the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park! When the word got out about this double-play scheme, there was a public outcry. In response, the council launched
26 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
a spin campaign suggesting critics, which included Judge Arnold Turner, one of the original founders of the regional parks network, Bronwen Turner, chair of ‘Friends of Regional Parks’ and Sandra Coney, a long-standing chair of the regional parks committee, and myself, were spreading ‘misinformation’. Despite this some 4684 public submissions were lodged opposing the regional parks transfer. Furthermore, ignoring Local Government Act principles of public consultation, the council has refused to make available independent legal advice on the proposed parks transfer, despite LGOIMA requests, resulting in my having to appeal to the Ombudsman. In the face of this public opposition, from what I could pick up when I made my submission to the council hearing panel on 20 May, council officers may be modifying the offending policy 45. However policy 271: ‘Management transfers: Consider the transfer of management in whole or in part, of: regional parkland to a relevant public agency or iwi authority...’ it seems will be staying. Only three out of seven Auckland representatives on the Hauraki Gulf Forum voted with the bloc of iwi members in February to support radically changing the governance of the Hauraki Gulf. One of them was Waiheke Local Board chair, Cath Handley, and another was local councillor, Pippa Coom. In contrast, councillor John Watson (May issue Ponsonby News) continues to speak out against the scheme to in effect hand over regional parks to a parks-unfriendly, undemocratic, ‘co-governed’ Hauraki Gulf authority. For doing this, Watson is now the subject of a formal code of conduct complaint from Coom and Handley in what appears to be an attempt to intimidate him. The principle of free speech and that our parks are owned and managed for the people of Auckland – all of them - is being steadily undermined. Did anyone vote for this? (MIKE LEE)) PN PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
PARKING AT MOTAT 2
“You can find information related to the MOTAT 2 car park on the MOTAT website. As noted on their website, they are in discussion with AT on the possibility of charging for parking once construction of the car park is complete. “No decisions have been made yet as to whether parking fees will apply to the new MOTAT car parking area. The revenue from any parking fees will go towards the maintenance of the MOTAT car park and any surplus will help enhance visitor experiences at the site,” Kind regards, Sandy Webb, Interface Lead, Auckland Transport It lacks transparency and is disingenuous in the least, that Auckland Transport have released a public information brochure for the Pt Chevalier to Westmere Project with important detail missing.
LETTERS & EMAILS
CONTINUED FROM P6
They mitigate the loss of all car parking along Meola Road with the yet to be completed MOTAT 2 carpark. It is unclear whether this facility will be free or fee paying. However pay parking machines appear on the detailed map. The information is on the MOTAT website but not included anywhere on Auckland Transport platforms. How does the public understand the impact of, and, have a say on projects that directly affect day to day living when relevant information is withheld? Auckland Transport have lobbed this ball over the net to MOTAT. Unfair. Catherine Moorhead
AUCKLAND’S FIRST CUSTOM SIGNET RING STORE OPENS IN PONSONBY A boutique custom made signet rings store, the first of its kind in New Zealand, has opened on Ponsonby Road in Auckland. The store, Custom Signet Rings by Benjamin Black, has replaced its sister brand, Black Matter Jewellery, to meet a growing demand for personalised signet rings. Co-Owner, Benjamin Black (Master Jeweller), says the store is unique to the New Zealand market and has grown throughout the global Covid-19 pandemic. “Signet rings have been around for centuries, and have made a tremendous comeback in recent years. We initially developed an e-commerce website so people could order custom signet rings online, which has been incredibly popular.” Since then, signet ring sales have increased from 15% to 30% of our entire business revenue, despite last year’s lock downs and subsequent strain on the economy. Many of our customers are based in Auckland, so it made sense to take the business to where the people are. It’s the only physical store in the country specifically dedicated to providing custom made signet rings.”
Black, who co-owns award-winning jewellery brand Benjamin Black Goldsmiths, alongside his partner Amy Cunningham, says every individual ring is handcrafted in Nelson. “A signet ring is an heirloom piece designed to stand the test of time. We handcraft every ring from our workshop in Nelson in solid precious metals - sterling silver, gold or platinum - ensuring they are made to the highest quality, so they can be worn and loved for generations.”
Custom Signet Rings by Benjamin Black is open now at 182 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 546 9137, www.customsignetrings.co.nz PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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LOCAL NEWS
DAVENPORTS LAW:
MEET RICHARD AND BECKS
Happily married nearly 50 years and now both in their 70s, the couple were beginning to think about the next stage of life. The retirement village lifestyle was becoming more and more appealing. The family home they had lived in for 35 years had outgrown them. Their girls were grown, the full section was starting to feel unmanageable and the stairs were a bit much for Richard since his knee replacement. They had a few friends who had made the transition and were absolutely raving about Tammy McLeod it. Richard and Becks discussed all this with their daughters, becoming more keen. They spent many weekends touring the different villages and finally settled on the perfect one. Richard and Becks were well-positioned financially. They had built a very successful business which they sold ten years prior, first investing the sale proceeds in term deposits and now managed funds. And of course, their Takapuna home had increased hugely in value since they bought it in the late 80s. The house and the managed funds were both in a trust, established back when they owned their business. Richard and Becks were the beneficiaries of the trust together with their three daughters and their children. The trustees were Richard, Becks and their accountant. In anticipation of their big move, Richard and Becks went to their lawyer to seek advice on the Occupation Right Agreement. She had helped them immensely with the establishment of the trust and sale of the business, but they hadn’t had much reason to visit in the last few years. She advised they take this opportunity to review their wills and trust documents at the same time. She explained that trusts had evolved over the years, becoming quite a specialty area. She referred them on to a lawyer who specialised in trusts for expert advice. The specialist explained that trust law had changed quite a bit since they set up theirs in the mid 90s. At that time, it was common for trusts to have extensive beneficiary lists. This would often include spouses as well as de facto partners. When the lawyer looked at Richard and Becks' trust deed,
he saw that not only were their children and grandchildren’s partners and spouses potential beneficiaries, but also any caregivers for those people. This would include the nanny of their eldest daughter’s children. The lawyer said this wasn’t a common inclusion, but he had certainly seen it before. Clearly this is not what the couple had intended when they set the trust up. Richard and Becks were particularly concerned about their youngest daughter who happened to be going through a messy divorce. They didn’t like the idea that her ex-husband was a beneficiary of the trust. Unfortunately, the lawyer informed them that due to the age of the existing trust, there was no way to remove beneficiaries. He said that sometimes in these cases the trust deeds could be varied to include a power to remove beneficiaries which could then be exercised. But again, in their case there was no power to vary the trust deed. The only options open to them were to resettle the trust, which meant setting up a new modern trust with a smaller class of beneficiaries and settling the assets onto that trust or closing out the trust and putting everything back into their names. Richard was reluctant to wind up the trust given the cost and effort of setting it up and maintaining it for decades. However, the lawyer advised them that the right to occupy the villa in the retirement village wasn’t able to be owned by the trust. Furthermore, now that they didn’t have the business risk or any obvious family issues necessitating a trust, winding it up would be the most sensible option. The trust had done its job and they could still protect their daughters’ inheritance with wellcrafted wills. Richard and Becks took the advice. They wound up their trust and put in place new, more extensive wills. They sold their Takapuna home, purchasing the occupation right to a lovely villa in the retirement village. The balance of funds from the sale were added to their managed funds, which were now held under their own names. Their tax returns became more straightforward, without the extra cost of preparing annual accounts for the trust. Richard and Becks were very happy with the outcome, still with the understanding that the trust had done its job for all those years — providing peace of mind when they needed it.
DAVENPORTS LAW, 331 Rosedale Road, Level 1, Building 2, Albany, T: 09 883 3284, www.davenportslaw.co.nz
28 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
C RA FTED L EGAL ADV ICE FOR PE ACE OF MIN D.
Asset protection. Do you need a Will? Do you have a bank account? Do you have a KiwiSaver account, own your own home or have life insurance in your own name? If the answer is yes, then you need a Will. We often think Wills are only for when you are older or have a lot of assets. We don’t think of where our assets will be distributed if we die without a Will, or the impact an old Will can have as our life circumstances change. Having a current Will ensures your family will be left with clear instructions on your last wishes. To review your Will, or create a new one, get in touch with our Trusts team. DAV ENPORTSL AW.C O. N Z
0 9 883 32 84
PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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LOCAL NEWS
ROSS THORBY: CRUISING
ON LAND
After three wanton sun, sea and wine soaked days at Matauri Bay napping and wallowing in tune with the sound of the surf, it was time to pack up Car-lotta and swap one fine New Zealand beach for another. We left in a convoy of “five wheelers”, camper vans and caravans that would have frustrated any motorist caught up at the back of our queue. Our destination is arguably one of the finest beaches in Northland, Tauranga Bay. Immediately south of the entrance to Whangaroa Harbour – it’s only a half hour’s drive up the road. My family often took the drive along this coast during those long hot Sunday drives that everyone used to do as a rite of passage in the 70s. Dad driving our Triumph 2000 and cursing the price of petrol - it was 59c a litre - and mother straining to keep my brother and I from killing each other in the back seat. We would ramble along the narrow roads bordering a spectacular and unique shoreline that in those days I failed to appreciate, but today, cannot fail to admire. Little did I realise in those early days they would be the memories my parents were creating for me to enjoy in my burgeoning autumn years: long, hot Christmas landscapes, decorated with the bright red pohutukawa flower carpeting the melting tarseal roads and meager fibrelight baches littering the idyllic foreshore; the sound of cicadas exploding through our open windows; and over the radio, John Rowles lamenting, the music fading through the summer haze into the slipstream of our car. Arriving then, as we do now, through an ancient forest of cabbage tree and swamp, the camp is a throw-back to those halcyon days. Today little has changed, except for the odd multimillion dollar holiday home now nestled amongst seemingly fragile clapboard neighbours. And of course my choice of music, which today is Robbie.
Our destination is a beautiful one kilometre beach sheltered by a headland on both sides which offers shelter from the prevailing winds; its isolation and privacy protecting it from the scourge of modern civilization and creating a time warp that most New Zealanders will appreciate. At one end of the bay through a natural rock archway, is a small cove - Butterfly Bay, a haven to a kaleidoscope of Monarch butterflies, which breed and thrive here. At the other end of the beach is a natural swimming estuary, its tidal rip cascading in a white rush over wave ripples gouged into the sand. In the middle where the camping ground is located and beyond a sand bank and colony of Dotterell is a clear and constant surf that begs to be appreciated by the young at heart. The camping ground Eric Rush’s family still oversee has barely marked the subtle changes infiltrating its grounds. Instead of Triumphs, Cortinas, and coleslaw and bbq’d sausages, we are now arriving in motorhomes, vans and RAMS to consume slow cooked lamb and potatoes dauphine with salmon canapés and drinking Oyster Bay instead of Cold Duck. Kids play in the safe estuary and the adults body surf in the main beach, whilst once again the women organise the food and we men dash for the crashing waves in our bathing suits still wet from the morning’s exertions. Then we are called back - just before suffering too much concussion from the dumping surf - to the groaning tables of food and open bar. With chill music drowning out the cry of the sea gulls, someone suggests a cocktail of Long Island Iced Teas and the rest of the afternoon is a blur of alcohol and Finska - a torturous Finnish game which challenges your co-ordination and mathematics - made extra difficult the more ”teas” you’d imbibed. The day slips quickly into dusk. Through the eyes of Car-lotta, I'm discovering that camping grounds around the country are enjoying a new revival, but they are under threat from rising property prices and the dearth of houses and suitable land to build them on. The best grounds in the country are located next to the sea and therefore are the most at risk of being lost forever. Will our children and generations of the future have the same opportunities that we had to achieve these memories, or will we be foolish enough to lose the land and deny future generations the way of life that we took for granted? All the more reason to get out to rediscover our country now, before it is too late. (ROSS THORBY) PN
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
LOCAL NEWS
HELEN WHITE:
LABOUR LIST MP BASED IN AUCKLAND CENTRAL As you may have seen we’ve just released this year’s Budget, which sets out the next steps in our plan to build a secure future for New Zealand. I wanted to make sure that you’d heard about a couple of key Budget initiatives, including a cost of living package to support people here in Auckland Central. Right now the fundamentals of our economy are strong. We have a record low unemployment rate, economic activity that is higher than it was before Covid-19, and debt lower than most countries we compare ourselves to. Our strong health response protected our economy through Covid-19 and we’ve pulled through better than almost anywhere else in the world. But we know that despite these positive indicators, things are tough right now for many families as global inflation affects prices here at home. That’s why with Budget 2022, we’re taking further steps to ease the financial pressure on Kiwis with a new cost of living package. This package includes a new temporary payment to help Kiwis with higher food and power bills. This will benefit more than two million people earning up to $70,000 a year who don’t already receive the Winter Energy Payment, including many here in Auckland. Alongside this payment, we’re tackling transport costs, by extending our fuel tax cut, reduced road user charges and half price public transport for a further two months, and making half price public transport permanent for people on low incomes. We’re also taking action on supermarkets to make sure Kiwis are paying a fair price at the checkout. It is important we do what we can to take the hard edges off the global factors that are affecting us here in New Zealand, and these practical measures will help families in Auckland and across the country. I’m proud of this cost of living package, but it’s not the only part of the Budget that will benefit people in Auckland Central. To secure our future we’re making our largest ever investment in the health system and Pharmac, ensuring more
Kiwis can access lifesaving medicines and treatments, and we’re delivering more paramedics and ambulances to ensure urgent care is on hand when needed. We’re also improving support for Kiwis with serious and acute conditions as part of our work to build a new mental health and addiction system. As we do all this, we’ll continue to carefully manage the books – and our careful fiscal management means we return to surplus quicker than National did after the global financial crisis. There’s a lot more in the Budget that will benefit people here in Auckland. If you’d like to know more, I’d encourage you to check out labour.org.nz/budget2022. Whether it’s helping businesses switch to renewable energy or futureproofing our health system, I know that our Government’s actions will make a real difference for Kiwis, now and in years to come. (HELEN WHITE) PN This article was funded by Parliamentary Services. www.facebook.com/HelenWhiteLabour
165 PONSONBY ROAD T: 09 360 1611 www.ponsonbyroadbistro.co.nz
PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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LOCAL NEWS
PONSONBY U3A: MAY
2022 THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THIS DAME!
At the May meeting, Ponsonby U3A members rose to their feet to give a standing ovation to the speaker. She was none other than Dame Silvia Cartwright. There to talk about what she ironically referred to as her ‘brilliant’ career, Dame Silvia treated her audience to an overwhelming account of her life from humble early beginnings through to the stellar positions she has held. And on the way she provided fascinating insights and humorous snippets, never letting go of the humble persona that is hers. Dame Silvia describes herself from the outset as a ‘lonely and mediocre student'; lonely because she was the sole woman at law school, and mediocre because initially she had no idea of how to study effectively. But soon her parents had a daughter, who by working hard went on to become the first female District Court Judge, the first woman in New Zealand to be appointed to the High Court, and of course the Governor General of New Zealand. Demonstrating her abiding love of legal and procedural issues, Dame Silvia has also displayed a rigorous concern for human rights throughout her cases. She has challenged an aspect of the New Zealand Crimes Act in relation to disciplining children; monitored compliance with the United Nations Convention to eliminate discrimination against women; investigated war crimes in Cambodia for eight years - a personal high point for her; chaired the Commission of Enquiry into the treatment of cervical cancer; and led the public enquiry into the Earthquake Commission. Currently, among other things, Dame Silvia is Chair of the International Committee of Jurists and is shortly to begin leading yet another high-profile enquiry. When asked how she came to achieve all she has, she insists, “I am very much an unremarkable and everyday woman who worked hard and had a loving and supportive husband and a large circle of family and friends who promoted and supported me.” As one of the members said in thanking Dame Silvia for her presentation, “You have challenged laws that you have seen as overbearing, tackling the issues without fear or favour; you have continued your life standing up for what you have believed is right for our full community, and we applaud you.” Indeed, there is nothing unremarkable about this woman! The ten-minute speaker was Alistair Wright who in a speech peppered with levity, romped through his fifty-year career in law. In the early days his firm let him enrol for criminal legal cases and every day he would wait like seagull for the registrar to hand him a file.
Dame Silvia Cartwright
Once Alistair was given the case of a young client who with his mate had shot three turkeys on the road. A farmer filed charges of theft and wilful damage. Alistair’s client pleaded not guilty, but his mate pleaded guilty. In court the farmer appeared with a large case covered in bloodied newspapers and pulled out two bloodied, defrosting frozen turkeys. Asking only three questions of the farmer, Alistair managed to show that because the turkeys had wandered onto the farm in the first place the farmer could not own them as one cannot own wild animals. Ponsonby U3A holds a general meeting each month and hosts a guest speaker with topics ranging widely over diverse issues. It is a meeting place to stimulate the mind and importantly to make new friends. Special interest groups cover thirty different special interest areas, and it is in these small groups where friendships are forged. (CHRISTINE HART) PN NEXT MEETING: The June meeting will be a members’ only event but in succeeding months, visitors are welcome to attend monthly meetings. ENQUIRES TO ATTEND: Telephone President Philippa Tait on T: 027 4523 108. www.u3a.nz.
Use religiously
TIGERDROPS
HOLY HEMP
32 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022 CHRISM BY DESIGN
Prohibited food. Not intended for the treatment or prevention of any disease or condition.
WWW.TIGERDROPS.CO.NZ
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
LOCAL NEWS
KEN RING: WEATHER
BY THE MOON - AUCKLAND WEATHER DIARY, JUNE 2022
June is expected to be a wetter than average month but with less cloud than normal. The first week may be sunniest, and the second week the wettest, and the third week the cloudiest. The fourth week may be driest with highest pressure and rain returns in the last couple of days. Most weekends do not escape showers, but the least may be on the 25th/26th. For fishers, highest tides are around 15th. The best fishing bite-times in the east are around dusk on 1st, 13th-16th and
29th-30th. Bite-chances are also good around noon of 7th9th, and 20th-22nd. For gardeners, planting is best (waxing moon ascending) between 2nd-12th, and pruning is best 16th-27th, (waning moon descending). For preserving and longer shelf-life, pick crops or flowers around neap tides of 8th and 23rd. (KEN RING) PN
For future weather for any date, and the 2022 NZ Weather Almanac, see www.predictweather.com.
Opinions expressed in Ponsonby News are not always the opinion of Alchemy Media Limited & Ponsonby News.
@ LEYS LITTLE LIBRARY Kia ora koutou, it has been splendid to see you all again at Wriggle and Rhyme, Film Club and Book Chat over the last few weeks. Mānawatia a Matariki - this month brings our first Matariki public holiday on Friday 24 June. Though the library will be closed for the day, it’s the perfect time to spend a cosy evening sharing kai with friends and whānau. At the library we will be celebrating Matariki the week after, on Friday 1 July. Join us in the Leys Little Library from 6pm-7pm for the return of Tales by Twilight. Come along in your pyjamas or favourite onesie for an evening of Matariki inspired stories, music, and of course bubbles, rounded off with milk and cookies. Stories start around 6.15pm. As well as Matariki, June also brings the shortest day of the year. This is generally coupled with wetter, cooler weather. Thankfully, our cookbook section has many suggestions for warming winter meals. Chef extraordinaire, Ottolengi, continues to bless us with beautiful books of delicious recipes. The latest title to land on our shelves is 'Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things'. If the earlier volume of the test kitchen series is anything to go by, then this should be a treat. I very much enjoyed a warm winter brunch of sweet potato shakshuka with sriracha butter and pickled onions from 'Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love' so I am looking forward to discovering more favourites in Extra Good Things.
If you’re looking to add more vegan recipes to your winter repertoire, then may Leys Library recommend 'The
Korean Vegan Cookbook: reflections and recipes from Omma's kitchen' a delectable debut cookbook from Joanne
Lee Molinaro, the home cook and storyteller known as @thekoreanvegan on tiktok. Another author inspired by home cooking is Edgar Castrejón, who has created and complied a scrumptious collection of
'Mexican dishes in Provecho: 100 vegan Mexican recipes' to celebrate culture and community.
For a more traditional winter cookbook we suggest leafing through the pages of ‘Soup Broth Bread’ the newest one to hit our shelves. Hours: Monday – Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am-4pm. Monday 6 June Queen’s Birthday Weekend - Public Holiday, library closed. Friday 24 June Matariki – Public Holiday, library closed. LEYS LITTLE LIBRARY, 14 Jervois Road, T: 09 377 0209,
www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz
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LOCAL NEWS
PONSONBY PARK+ JUNE UPDATE The good news just keeps coming! The Community-Led Design (CLD) group is delighted that Marina Van den Berg has been appointed as the council project manager for the development of Ponsonby Park+, the new civic space at 254 Ponsonby Road. This is great news! By the time of publication, the CLD group will have met with Marina to continue our community engagement role.
The Community-Led Design group is a valuable asset to, and an integral part of the process of developing Ponsonby Park+. Indeed, it was the CLD group that resolved the impasse that enabled the project to progress to the delivery stage that is now underway. We will continue to be your voice in the delivery by maintaining our community awareness work.
The next tranche of work is to meet the start work deadline of 1 July 2023 for Stage One of the development. This will include:
“In a world with increasingly complex problems, collaboration is essential. PARK+ is LandLAB’s winning entry into the Ponsonby Park design competition held in late 2017. This project pilots a new model for community-led engagement, a design-led process and, interdisciplinary collaboration beyond a 'business as usual' consultation process”. **LandLAB
1. Developed Design Currently, we have the multi-award-winning Park+ concept design* by LandLAB. This concept design will be developed to be consent ready. Council has already completed the site survey so design development work is ready to start now. 2. Resource Consent Once the design development work is completed, an application for resource consent can be lodged with council. Happily, this consenting can be prioritised. 3. Detailed Design Detailed design and technical drawings are then developed including the EDA - ‘Engineering Planning Approval’ work. 4. Building Consent An application for building consent is lodged with council. 5. Tenders Tender drawings are issued and the contract is awarded. 6. Community consultation Any additional consultation needed will happen during the course of this work stream.
Our volunteer CLD group has always been motivated by the belief that Ponsonby Park will be a wonderful community amenity, meeting existing needs, as well as being an exemplar of community engagement, design excellence and, delivery. Bring it on! (JENNIFER WARD) PN An opportunity for the existing building at 254 Ponsonby Road, is for the Toy Library to relocate into part of it. We understand this option is being explored by the Waitematā Local Board and the CLD group is in full support of this proposal. *Awards: NZILA Award of Excellence in Unbuilt Visionary (2019), World Architecture News (WAN) Future Projects: Civic Award Winner (2018), World Architecture Festival (WAF) Civic Future Project Award Finalist (2018) **landlab.co.nz/ponsonby-park For further information please see our www.254ponsonbyrd.org.nz
Or our Facebook page: Ponsonby Park.
7. Start work on site 1 July 2023.
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
LOCAL NEWS
LOCAL ARTIST & FOREST PROTECTOR, ANNETTE ISBEY DIES Talented local artist Annette Isbey was considered to be a ‘cultural icon’. Sadly, she passed away on 16 May. I met Annette in 2015 after incessant phone calls asking for help. She was deeply distressed by the actions of those wanting to destroy her much loved Western Springs Forest. She owned two mill cottages and an art studio adjoining the walking track entry on West View Road and she spent hours weeding and planting many natives to add to the existing ngahere. Annette had contacted Waitematā Local Board a number of times about the poor condition of the Western Springs walking track and offroad bikes damaging the native forest. Western Springs Forest was saved from destruction as a result of her meeting in 2015 with David Stejskal (Auckland Council arborist), Rob Thomas (WLB) and local artist from Edge City, cafe owner Lisa Prager, and Gael Baldock. I carried on the fight for Annette when she was on longer able to do so. Dementia meant Annette was spared witnessing the ecological disaster that included the unnecessary destruction of her mature trees, along with 15,000 natives last year. She would have been horrified. Nor did she see the upgraded walking track, six years after she had asked for it to be made safe. She would have enjoyed the picturesque view of the lake it exposed, but not at the cost of this once ‘Significant Ecological Area’. During Covid lockdown restrictions, ‘consultation’ was held for a $83,000 ‘loop track’, at the point where the cleared area adjoins the current walking track. Whilst the majority of feedback supported it, without a public meeting to properly explain the primary intention to create a native forest. Nature is best left alone! The Waitematā Local Board voted for a ‘loop track’ now costing $121,000. Is this going to be another budget blow out
Log between two stumps forming a dangerous jerry-rigged retaining
like the $2 million destruction? The track will include a turning platform for wheelchairs yet the slope of the hillside is too steep for wheelchair accessibility and access from West View Road includes three sets of stairs! I suggested taking the track to the magnificent view of the lake to a seating area, a fifth of the length and therefore one fifth the cost. That money would be better spent on trees for a future canopy by planting with the existing native forest, as per the plan before one third of the forest was annihilated, once the track is ‘disestablished’ as per the Resource Consent “The access track, culverts and landing/chipping areas shall be disestablished and returned to the same general topographical formation that existed prior to the works being undertaken.” I tried reasoning with both Auckland Council and Waitematā Local Board to make these works safe, but to no avail. The overland watercourses are blocked by the platform shelf formed by the working track. There is a dangerous jerry-rigged retaining ‘wall’ that has been formed by a felled log propped between two stumps to hold up chipped logs several meters deep that is starting to wash down the hillside. There’s evidence that glyphosate is being used, instead of pulling weeds. I have been left with no choice than to take this Health and Safety issue to the Environment Court for an order to complete the Resource Consent. The point of this development was to create an urban native forest. My thoughts are with Annette's family at this sad time. (GAEL BALDOCK) PN
'Baptism' diptych 2006, oli on linen, 2 panels each 183 x 107 2 #64
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WINTER GETAWAYS The Calile, photography: Sean Fennessy
HELENE RAVLICH:
WINTER TRAVEL: GET UP AND GO
Despite the stellar weather we’ve experienced over the autumn months, there’s no denying that winter will soon be at our doorsteps. Cooler temperatures and longer nights lend themselves to a little wanderlust, with both ski holidays and fun in the sun now very exciting options. If you’re dreaming of a much-needed escape, here’s a little inspiration for your next getaway, both close to home and a little farther away. Brisbane, Australia
So tantalisingly close but often so unavailable over the past couple of years, Australia is always a good time. It really does offer something for everyone, and the city on everybody’s lips of late is sunny Brisbane. Having transformed over the years into an arts and culture hub as well as a dining and retail destination thanks to some clever developers, it now offers so much for those wanting a city stay, but with the great weather of a tropical getaway.
36 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
The unabashedly cool James Street has staked a claim as Brisbane’s foremost retail and lifestyle precinct, and just gets better with age. Having emerged organically from its inner-city industrial roots, the street and surrounding area has evolved into a high energy urban retail pocket with a mix of over 110 speciality stores and lots of cute laneways and unexpected finds. The area includes impressive range of design showrooms and fashion boutiques, award-winning
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
WINTER GETAWAYS
restaurants and cafes, in addition to art galleries, design havens and grooming emporiums. Playing home to some of Australia’s favourite designers, the precinct attracts those looking for a design-forward retail experience in a leafy urban setting. Accommodation-wise, the hot spot to stay is definitely The Calile Hotel, which bills itself as a “subtropical resort on a city streetscape” that combines architectural amenities with climate-centric spaces. Designed by Richards and Spence Architects, The Calile takes its inspiration from the chic hotels in hot weather cities with a resort focus like Miami, Palm Springs, Rio De Janeiro and Mexico City, and it’s a recipe for success. The hotel’s enviable location on James Street makes it a must stay if you’re looking for a mix of retail and world class dining in a gloriously resort-style atmosphere. Hawkes Bay
A short flight – or fun roadie - from Auckland, Hawkes Bay is a wonderland all its own – whether your passion is great food, fabulous wine or indulging in a little nostalgia. In the heart of wine country, the award-winning Craggy Range’s Giants Winery in Havelock North is most definitely worth a visit for a cellar door tasting or meal in their stellar, award-
Brisbane City
winning restaurant. You can also stay a few days in one of their glorious accommodation options - the Vineyard and Garden Cottages, or elegant Luxury Lodges. Boutique accommodation among the vines and under the escarpment of Te Mata Peak make it a beautiful place to get away from it all, whether you’re a wine lover or not. For me, the ultimate indulgence is spending a few nights in one of their lodges overlooking the Tukituki River, a dream escape with great food and wine mere steps away if you really want to kick back. Order a platter and crank up the outdoor fireplace, then settle in for the night! Also in Hawkes Bay is the art deco capital of New Zealand, picturesque Napier. Stop by for the boutique retail offering or inspired cuisine at the likes of Bistronomy or Mister D, and stay the night at the historic – and very cool - Art Deco Masonic Hotel Napier. Craggy Range
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
No longer just the adrenaline capital of New Zealand, modern Queenstown is most definitely more than just skydiving and bars.
fundamentally transform our physical and emotional health through our daily habits. Their wellness team are second to none, and rest assured, you won’t go hungry!
If you’re feeling the need to reset after the tumult of the last few years, you can’t go past a week on retreat at awardwinning Aro Hā near Glenorchy for a totally transformative experience. Designed to regenerate your body and mind, their programs are based on research that suggests we can
With a quirky cool vibe all its own, Sherwood, midway between Frankton and Queenstown is a great place to base yourself in the fun loving town. Their eco-chic guest rooms traverse the humble luxury of a lakeside studio to the comfort of a one or two bedroom apartment, and you’ll find the
PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
WINTER GETAWAYS
Queenstown
39
Aro Hā
sheltered central garden perfect for sun drenched breakfasts and late afternoon cocktails. The surrounding bike track and kitchen gardens are fun to explore before you hit the restaurant for some of Queenstown’s most inspiring fare. The kitchen specialises in fresh, seasonal, soul food harvested from their own kitchen gardens, orchards and surrounding farms - while the bar team curates an ever-changing
selection of independent craft beers, fine natural wine, and rare spirits. Taking time to sample Arrowtown’s first class dining is also a must, and no visit down south is complete without time spent at Amisfield Winery & Bistro, now under the watchful eye of one of our own local hospitality icons, Tony Stewart.
Parohe Island Retreat
40 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
WINTER GETAWAYS Parohe Island Retreat Parohe Island Retreat
New to the New Zealand wellness scene and a great getaway so close to Auckland, Parohe Island Retreat is situated on Kawau Island, a jewel of the Hauraki Gulf. Parohe translates to a “relaxed, easy going mood” and that’s exactly how their team want you to feel as you arrive at their island oasis. Laid out across 20 hectares of land with dense native bush alive with songbirds, Parohe is heaven for those who love to hike, with nature trails weaving through the landscape that are suitable for all fitness levels. The connection to the land has led the team to adapt a blended approach combining organic, regenerative and sustainable
practices into their own balanced way of living. Their gardens are spray-free and lovingly tended by the retreat team, while their vehicles are battery operated to minimise noise and our environmental footprint. Menus are designed by an in-house naturopath and consultant chef, and not only does your food look delicious, it provides balanced macronutrients to ensure optimal nutrition. Seasonal programmes are designed to restore balance throughout the year with specialised retreats which bring people together with a common purpose. And at Parohe, packages are inclusive, so once you book, all you need to do is arrive. (HELENE RAVLICH)
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FACES @ GREY LYNN FARMERS MARKET Cher Yu and her mother, Aihua, sell their home grown produce at Grey Lynn Farmers Market on Sunday mornings. Where did you grow up?
In Shandong province in China but I moved to Wellington 20 years ago as a college student. What happened after you left high school?
I moved to Hawkes Bay to study nursing and that’s where I met my husband. Now we have two primary school-aged boys. What about your Mum, when did she move to New Zealand?
Mum was a business woman marketing textiles in Hong Kong and mainland China. When she retired eight years ago she moved here to be with our family. That’s a big change from marketing textiles to growing vegetables - how did that happen?
Mum had always wanted a garden so when we moved to a lifestyle block it was the perfect opportunity to grow our own food. Mum tries to follow organic philosophies. How did growing your own vegetables morph into selling at the market?
Mum was growing more than we could eat, so we gave the excess to friends and neighbours. They loved our produce, especially the beans - they are Mum’s specialty. A couple of years ago a shop approached us to sell our beans, so she slowly grew more and more. Mum’s business instincts kicked in and we started looking for somewhere to sell our produce directly to customers. That’s how we found Grey Lynn Farmers Market. What has the market been like for you?
Mum loves coming to the market - it’s a very social day for her. Customers are very patient with her and her English has
42 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
improved significantly - she understands more than she can speak. We’ve built up a following of regular customers who appreciate the different varieties that Mum likes to grow. She enjoys telling people how to eat and prepare things that they aren’t familiar with. The watermelon radishes have been very popular. Do you grow your vegetables in a greenhouse?
No - Mum prefers to grow vegetables outside. We do have an old wooden shed with a plastic roof, but Mum uses it for raising seedlings and growing chrysanthemums. Mum’s flowers are beautifu,l so we hope that customers will enjoy this new addition to our range. Is this just your Mum’s work?
I’ve been helping out quite a bit, but following Mum’s instructions, especially after she hurt her knee. And my boys have helped with the weeding and planting seeds - it’s great for getting them away from screens. They love the insects and are learning which ones are good and bad for the garden. So this has turned into a family project.
Yes – it’s keeping us very fit and we’ve lost weight. We are eating more healthy with all these fresh vegetables and our skin is more healthy. Do you get any free time?
Not much, but we make sure that we get back to Hawkes Bay for holidays to catch up with friends and old tutors from our years studying there. PN GREY LYNN FARMERS MARKET @ the Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road, www.greylynnfarmersmarket.co.nz
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY
AUTHENTIC ITALIAN - THIS IS PUGLIA… Puglia is open in nearby Kingsland offering genuine Italian dishes and hospitality. Puglia’s owner Cosimo, talks to Ponsonby News.
I'm from Apulia but my family and I moved from Southern Italy to New Zealand in 2014. I'm passionate about everything that is food and hospitality. What inspired you to create your own restaurant?
My true inspiration comes from Nonna Francesca and Mamma Marisa who taught me how to make fresh pasta and bread. When I was just a child, I used to spend hours with them in the kitchen making orecchiette and tagliatelle. I’ve now been working in the hospitality industry for more than 26 years and it came naturally that my biggest dream was to open my own restaurant. After moving to Auckland and working in some of the most prestigious Italian restaurants in town, I made the call and opened something on my own, a place where I could deliver to people the best dining experience and genuine Italian cuisine – the focus being on the Apulian recipes of course.
Our menu includes a variety of dishes to please everyone’s taste. We also have a special vegetarian menu and offer several options for vegans. How are the feedback/reviews on FB and Google?
We work hard to offer our customers a great service and delicious food, so we love it when they let us know how much they enjoyed their experience at Puglia. Looking at our FB page and Google profile you can see our clients have left positive feedback, which means that the passion we put into all we do has been so far greatly appreciated. I am happiest when…
I'm home cooking and baking for my family, also trying new recipes that one day might be part of the Puglia menu!
Who is your wonderful chef?
Our head chef Alessandro has been a valued asset of the Puglia team for the last 15 months. He comes from Reggio Emilia, the main city of the Emilia Romagna region, and has been living in New Zealand for seven years. Before bringing his authentic Italian culinary skills to Puglia, he worked for some of the most well-known Italian restaurants in Auckland. What are your favourite dishes?
My favourite dishes are ‘Orecchiette con brasciola’, (orecchiette pasta with stuffed beef roulade slow cooked in Napolitana sauce), which is also one of the best sellers on our menu, and ‘Tagliatelle boscaiola’ (Italian sausage, fennel seeds, mushrooms tossed in a creamy parmesan sauce). But I also enjoy simple dishes like ‘Tagliatelle bolognese’ (tagliatelle pasta in bolognese sauce) or ‘Gnocchi ai quattro formaggi’ (gnocchi four cheese).
509 NEW NORTH ROAD KINGSL AND T:\ 09 558 2631 pugliarestaurant.nz
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SOFIA ROGER WILLIAMS:
VEGAN VIBE - LITTLE BIRD A long time Ponsonby favourite is Little Bird Kitchen on Summer Street. While being a student it is not a place I can afford regularly, it is a go-to place for a brunch or lunch special occasion many a Mother’s Day celebratory meal or catching up with an old friend has been spent there over the years. Their seasonal menu is updated on a regular basis as well as specials on a constant rotation, although the essence and basic concepts are kept the same. In retrospect, while growing up, the Little Bird menu changed my younger self’s perception of salad and raw food eating. Using fresh, beautiful and organic produce, they encapsulate the phrase that us vegans always reiterate - that vegan food doesn’t mean boring or flavourless. Throughout the years I’ve made my way around the majority of the menu and now can decipher my top picks.
breakfast’ muesli/porridge. As well, they have juice cleanse packs, cold-pressed milks and tonics, in addition to meal plans and ready-to-eat meals. Over lockdown they were producing isolation boxes too. The scale of what they offer is truly impressive. Despite attracting a very niche demographic in the past, I believe Little Bird is a spot everyone should and can try. Its menu keeps everyone and every allergen in mind - no missing out here! “Food should not only taste amazing, it should make you feel amazing too.” And here, it does. (SOFIA ROGER WILLIAMS) PN
My mother and I have a definitive soft spot for the Vietnamese crepe and truly believe it can do no wrong. The current menu’s version consists of a ‘fermented quinoa, brown rice, spinach and spirulina crepe filled with an abundance of fresh herbs and veggies’. It is the perfect balance of spice, raw crisp veg, and carbs to leave you satisfied and content. Other favourites for me have been the Japanese seaweed salad, Little Bird tacos and the kimchi pancakes. The changing Little Bird bowl is always worth checking out too. With co-owner Megan May growing up with a number of food allergies, nutritious and restorative foods were always the goal. Prior to becoming the Little Bird Kitchen we know and love today, owners and partners, Megan and Jeremy, started Little Bird as a product range, and then two years later a solely raw vegan cafe called The Unbakery. It was significantly ahead of its time in introducing vegan fare to New Zealand and has been a great contributor in leading the way to show the power of plants. Little Bird has since expanded its product range and extra offerings. Their range includes multiple flavours of raw macaroons, cookies, crackers, nuts and easy on-the-go breakfast options such as their ‘grawnola’ and ‘everything LITTLE BIRD KITCHEN, 1 Summer Street, T: 027 648 4757, www.littlebirdorganics.co.nz
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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY
KHU KHU - VEGAN THAI Khu Khu has earned its place in the hearts and bellies of all their vegan fans. What’s your favourite dish off your menu?
My favourite dish has to be the sweet and sour ‘chicken’ because I love the crispness of our vegan chicken and it’s coated with our tasty sweet and sour sauce with crunchy cashew nuts sprinkled on top. Pair this with our purple rice and that’s my favourite dinner. Some restaurants have turned to making sauces to supplement their income. Have you considered doing this?
Khu Khu has considered making our own sauce because our vision is to create an impression on vegan food and we don’t want to limit ourselves. The sauce is something that we’re working on, but we have to make sure our sauce is up to Khu Khu standard before we can get it out in the market.
At Khu Khu, we view social media as a community building platform which allows us to connect with our customers and allows people to be apart of our journey. It is absolutely critical to listen to our audience on social media. We use social media to understand our customers’ values and figure out how we align their values with our restaurant. There is no specific feedback that inspires me, but we take all our feedback and suggestions very seriously over here. Anything else you’d like to tell us?
Keep your eyes peeled! We have a new cocktail and dessert coming soon to Khu Khu. PN
KHU KHU, 171A Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1992, www.khukhu.co.nz
All Vegan. All Fun. All Flavour.
TAILS
ach
Since social media appeared everyone is now a food critic. What feedback inspires you?
Khu Khu ad 190x40_may2022.indd 1
Khu Khu 171 Ponsonby Rd Ponsonby P 09 360 1992 W www.khukhu.co.nz @khukhueatery 19/05/22 + June 9:27 PONSONBY NEWS 2022AM 45
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PHIL PARKER:
HERE’S TO GOOD FRIENDS One thing that two years of dealing with Covid-19 in Auckland has taught me is the value of friendship. During lockdown, we missed the normality of sharing dinner parties, cafés, barbecues, jazz club and movies with our friends. And once restrictions were eased, we all had to make do with stilted, distanced outdoor catch-ups with no hugs and masks on. At last we are back to some sort of normality with vax passes and QR code scanning a thing of the past, and can finally catch up with our nearest and dearest. I’m an only child, with both parents long gone so I do regard my tight circle of old friends as my surrogate family, and I did miss them during the restrictions. It has made me appreciate them even more, and I’m making a real effort to maintain and nurture those relationships which I had maybe taken for granted in the past. I raise a glass to my best pals. Cheers! Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallele 45 Blanc 2019 - $27
An intriguing blend of grenache, marsanne, viogner and – wait for it - bourboulenc. Crisp and elegant. Tastes very much like a French chenin blanc, with clover honey, jasmine, apricot and a hint of pineapple. Clean dry citrus finish. Match with shellfish or other seafood. Available: Dhall & Nash. Loveblock Organic Pinot Gris Marlborough 2021 - $21
Crisp and fruity and just nudging dry in a flavoursome style. Lime, poached pear, a hint of ginger spice and green tea. Both vegan and organic. Great as a slightly chilled aperitif or with seafood, or Thai foods. Available: Glengarry, Fine O Wines, Pt. Chev Organic Wines. Johner Estate Wairarapa Riesling Light 2020 - $23
At only 8.5% alcohol this is a lovely light bodied and elegant riesling. Flavours of jasmine, lime, mandarin and a hint of beeswax with medium acidity and a clean finish. Fab as a
party starter aperitif with appetisers, or with seafood. Available winecentral.co.nz or Dhall & Nash. De La Terre Barrique Ferment Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2021 - $30
Tony Prichard was previously winemaker at Church Road Winery and now he and his wife Kaye have their own winery in the limestone terraces of Hawkes Bay. Crisp, dry and understated, this is a very elegant chardonnay with lime citrus, nectarine, crisp minerality and a yeasty tang. Match with oysters or a creamy pasta dish. Available: winecentral.co.nz and Dhall & Nash. Mountford Estate North Canterbury Rosé 2020 - $30
Crisp, crunchy and elegant. Refreshing palate of strawberries and cream, with cherry and a hint of toffee apple sweetness. Great match for antipasto, or as an aperitif. Available: Dhall & Nash, Parasol and Swing bar, Fine O Wines, Pt. Chev Organic Wines, blackmarket.co.nz Johner Estate Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2020 - $30
Earthy and savoury, full-bodied style. Still very youthful at two years, with firm tannins, funky dark cherry, black chocolate, soy and truffle. Great right now but would reward cellaring for three to six years. Food match: venison or rabbit. Veg option – pasta with truffle and mushroom sauce. Available winecentral.co.nz or Dhall & Nash. Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Syrah 2018 - $22
Matured without any oak ageing. Fruity and concentrated with blackcurrant, dark cherry, spicy black pepper, and a lengthy finish. Match with hearty beef dishes or spicy ratatouille. Available: Liquids Sandringham, Four Candles Food Market (Rosedale) blackmarket.co.nz (PHIL PARKER) PN
FINE WINE & FOOD TOURS “No. 2 Auckland Wine Tour” – TripAdvisor Your host, Phil Parker wine writer. Affordable tours for small and large groups.
E: phil.parker@xtra.co.nz
46 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
www.finewinetours.co.nz
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY Photography Kate Battersby
210 SYMONDS STREET T: 09 377 1911 www.sidatthefrenchcafe.co.nz sidatthefrenchcafe
SIDART, Level 1, Three Lamps Plaza, 283 Ponsonby Road T: 360 2122 www.sidart.co.nz
- Gusto Italiano GUSTO MEANING ‘TASTE AND ENJOYMENT’
When you dine with us, the focus is on freshly prepared classic dishes, featuring an excellent range of pasta, seafood, meats and our pizza classics.
We also offer our pasta dishes to takeaway, phone for details or check our website for the menu. 263 PONSONBY RD, THREE LAMPS, 09 361 1556 www.gustoitaliano.co.nz
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EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY
WINE TASTING AT GLENGARRY Never been to a tasting? Not sure what to expect? Well the first thing is to be assured that all Glengarry tastings and events are run in a non-intimidating way. Our aim to ensure that everyone enjoys themselves, learns about wine, and feels comfortable no matter what their previous tasting experiences are. There’s no time like the present to get out to a tasting, either by yourself or with family and friends. We are delighted to have our events back up and running in person. Alongside this we are continuing to run our events via Zoom. Zoom tastings have been great through the last few years and have given us the ability to connect with some super impressive hosts. For virtual tastings via Zoom your tasting samples are sent to you in small bottles ahead of time so you can taste along. Here’s a snapshot of what’s coming up. For the full schedule jump online and book today. VIRTUAL TASTING | GAJA HOSTED BY GAIA GAJA When we think of the history of wine in our own country it is beginning to feel as if we are creating legacies. Imagine if you will, having a winery that has been successfully producing fantastic wine for five generations. Gaja was founded in 1859 and have built their reputation on careful viticulture and revolutionary winemaking. These wines are exceptional and recognised and sought after by collectors around the world. We are thrilled to present a tasting on our virtual platform with Gaja hosting as we walk through the line-up. The wines we will be tasting are 2020 IDDA Blanco, Sicilia DOP 2019 IDDA Rosso DOP 2020 Ca' Marcanda Vistamare 2018 Ca' Marcanda Magari 2020 GAJA Rossj Bass, Langhe DOP 2019 GAJA Sito Moresco, Langhe DOP 2017 GAJA Dagromis, Barolo DOP 2017 GAJA Barbaresco. Event: VIRTUAL TASTING | GAJA HOSTED BY THE WINERY Event Date: 7pm Thursday 16 June Event Location: Via Zoom Event Cost: $99 FINE WINE TASTING | THE FINE WINES OF ITALY Navigating the world of Italian wine can at first glance seem a daunting task, however the exploration of Italian wine will yield you nothing but delight. As well as the traditional winemaking in Italy we are also blessed with visionaries that
OUR
have against all odds planted non-native grapes such as Bordeaux varieties, which now have their own place in Fine Wine World and are known as Super Tuscans. Our very own General Manager Liz Wheadon, together with our Victoria Park site Manager Zane Winskill, are going to lead us through the very best that each region has to offer. We will be tasting Antinori Solaia 2018, Bibi Graetz Testamatta 2019, Biondi Santi Brunello DOCG Reserva 2013, Bruno Giacosa Barbarsco Rabaja DOCG 2014, Ornellaia Masseto 2018, Caiarossa Toscana 2018, Di Gresy Barbaresco DOCG Camp Gros Riserva 2015, Gagliardo Barolo Lazzarito DOCG 2015. To purchase all these wines would be circa $4.5k. This is a rare opportunity to try some of the very finest fine wines in the world. Event: FINE WINE TASTING | THE FINE WINES OF ITALY Event Date: 7:00pm, Thursday 30 June 2022 Event Location: Glengarry Wines, 118 Wellesley Street West Event Cost: $299 EXPLORING COGNAC | GLENGARRY SPIRITS Cognac, much like Champagne, is a region that is dominated by its big names, but also where smaller, family owned producers continue to thrive alongside them. From these less well known houses come not just some of the best value brandy on the market, but some of the finest examples available anywhere. For this tasting we are proud to present a range of Cognacs that perfectly encapsulate that. Tesseron, founded in 1905 by Abel Tesseron and renowned for their collections of aged eaux-de-vie, and Lheraud, the eponymous family who have lived in the region since 1680 and produced their first Cognac in 1802, will be the stars of the evening. We will taste through several Cognacs from both houses, from their more entry level offerings, through to some rare and very old blends. Event: EXPLORING COGNAC | GLENGARRY SPIRITS Event Date: 7pm, Thursday, 21 July Event Location: Glengarry Spirits Store, Jervois Road Event Cost: $45 www.glengarrywines.co.nz
VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON
SCAN ME
TASTINGS & EVENTS T ARE BACK GAJA WINERY - GIN CLUB - FINE WINES OF ITALY - CHAMPAGNE NV - EXPLORING COGNAC WWW.GLENGARRY.CO.NZ | P: 0800 733 505 | E: SALES@GLENGARRY.CO.NZ
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY
NEW WINTER MENU AT DIDAS Dida’s mali degustacija are a collection of fresh flavoursome dishes that can be eaten on your own or shared. More than appetizers, these represent, in their social context, both a style of eating and a way of life and with their versatility create a wonderful complement to Dida’s numerous wine, beer and spirit offerings. Chicken liver parfait w cherry, walnut & toasted sourdough - $16 Duck spring rolls w lime and coriander sweet chilli - $13 Didas fried chicken, ten spice w chipotle aioli - $14 New Zealand Calamari, fried w lemon aioli - $16 Dida’s shoestring fries w tomato sauce - $8 Crispy fried potatoes, w smoked paprika, aioli - $11 Empanadas, home baked pastry, Manchego, mozzarella & goats cheese - $13 Glazed beetroot w almond ricotta, parsley crumbs - $14 Stuffed eggplant, provolone, goat cheese, pinenut - $17 Cauliflower bites w almond parlsey and lemon aioli - $18 Tiger prawns, garlic and chilli butter, parsley, lemon - $24 Lamb rump skewers w beet glaze, popped quinoa - $20 Venison meatballs w pomodoro sauce, cherry coulis and parmesan - $22 Pork belly, honey and soy glaze w preserved apple - $24 Hot apple cigars w macadamia crumble, orange sauce, rum and raisin ice cream - $13 Chocolate bon bon w mocha caramel, sesame tuile - $14 Goats cheese w truffled honeycomb, rosemary & fig toast - $16 The fire’s on and the tables set. Come on in, enjoy a glass of quality wine and a plate to share. DIDA’S, 60 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 2813, www.didaswinelounge.co.nz
NE W WINTER MENU 60 JERVOIS RD
(0 9) 376 2 813
DIDAS.CO.NZ
PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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LIVING, THINKING + BEING
TADHG STOPFORD:
FIGHT, FOR THE RIGHT, TO “HEALTH CLAIMS” ABOUT FOOD Avocados have a range of potential health benefits, like improving digestion, decreasing the risk of depression, and protecting against cancer. Like cannabis does. The reason for this is because avocados are high in Omega 3 essential fatty acids, and these Omega 3s are 'fuel for life'. They are vital fuel to make vital anti-inflammatory molecules (“endocannabinoids”) with broad health benefits. Endocannabinoids regulate and protect our health. Angels! That's why cannabis health claims are so crazy sounding pain, stress, anxiety, epilepsy, cancer, sleep, depression? It sounds too good to be true, right? But, these are traditional uses of cannabis. So, Avocados are good for you, and cannabinoids too. Omega 3s are fuel for your body to make some 60+ cannabinoids. Cannabis is a food that contains 180+ cannabinoids, and all the essential fatty acids you need to make your own too! But you can't legally make any therapeutic claims for Omega 3 fatty acids, or for cannabinoids, herbal remedies, and other ‘nutraceutical’ natural health products. And that means the public can’t make informed health choices in the market. And that also means we, the public, are prey for pharma. Instead of being able to exercise informed consumer choices to protect our health, we live in legally enforced ignorance. It's a cartel market really, and hemp/cannabis (Queen of Herbs) is a prohibited food, even though Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine thy food. For the physician tends, but nature mends.” This is because our Medicines Act seems like cartel legislation for the benefit of the pharmaceutical industry. Despite the rhetoric of a ‘free market’ and ‘public service’, our Ministry of Health seems pharmas enforcer in the ‘health market,’ presumably, if we follow the money, because natural health products aren’t as profitable as patented pharmaceuticals;
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and because regulators don't care about sick people as much as they do the ‘economic activity’ that funds their departments. While cartels are illegal in New Zealand, they are exempt when resulting from statute/political bias. This is an unfortunate situation, as it means that captured regulators and politicians can safely regulate markets against the public interest. In this case (i.e. the failure of MedSafe to permit health claims for foods/natural health products, and their treatment of hemp/ cannabis) seems a tort of law called ‘public misfeasance’. “The tort of misfeasance in a public office has its origin in the premise that public powers are to be exercised for the public good.” In Japan, the government introduced a new category of foods (‘functional foods’) in the 1990s. Health claims can be made about these foods, and it’s grown into an $8 billion market sector that’s empowered consumers to take care of their own health. Samantha Gray is the Government Affairs Director for Natural Health Products New Zealand, and she comments that the MoH will not permit all of the health claims common to other jurisdictions, meaning “consumers still won't be fully informed about the function of products on the market, and that millions of dollars of research will continue to be ‘wasted’, in that health benefits properly researched will not be able to be communicated.” Why does the ‘free market’ in New Zealand always treat the public like stock units to be squeezed dry? And why does it feel like our public servants do not serve the public? Eat avocados. Grow and eat hemp/cannabis too. It’s cheaper than avocados if you grow your own. PN (TADHG STOPFORD) www.thehempfoundation.org.nz
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
Find us at: 24 Williamson Ave Grey Lynn moontide.com
FASHION + STYLE
@ STEP INN SHOES
1. 2.
3.
5. 4. 6.
1. Ara - Adeen, available in Red, Black and White $440
4. Gabor - Garb, available in Expresso and Black $349
2. Remonte - Moll, available in White $349
5. United Nude - Juko, available in Magent, Blue & Fresh $389
3. EOS - Serafina, available in Caramel and Black $389
6. Nero Giardini - Nell, available in Black $499
STEP INN SHOES, Three Lamps, 283 Ponsonby Road, T:09 360 5512, www.stepinnshoes.nz
WINTER
2022 INSTORE NOW
52 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
Step Inn Shoes, Three Lamps Plaza, 283 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby. www.stepinnshoes.nz Ph 09 360 5512 Open 7 days Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm Saturday 9am – 4pm Sunday 11am – 3pm
Step Inn Shoes
Shop now. Pay later. Always interest-free.
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
DOES YOUR LAUNDRY NEED ENZYMES? No need to let that glass of red wine or blob of body lotion destroy your favourite silk shirt – because those hungry little critters called enzymes are on the case! So far, you may have avoided using enzyme powered laundry detergents and heard that detergents with enzymes cause skin irritations, or that enzymes in detergent damage your clothing over time. But studies show sensitivities are usually caused instead by fragrance or dye. Again, product testing demonstrates the risk is low and damage may be the result of the washing machine and how it’s loaded. For example, delicates washed with heavy jeans can come out the worse for wear. While enzymes are safe to use on most fabrics, most experts recommend you test first by rubbing a drop or two in an inconspicuous area of the garment. If you need to wash very soiled items, an enzyme detergent pre-soak in lukewarm water can help break down stains before you pop them in the machine. For most stains, letting them dry or heating them up, can make them set and be harder to shift. The best time to treat a stain is when it first happens. Know your enzymes
We have our favourite foods, so do enzymes. And luckily for us, they tend to prefer the dressing to the salad. An effective stain removing detergent should contain: • Amylase eats starchy foods like rice and pasta • Mannanase goes for gums like you find in ice cream • Lipase focuses on fats to remove oil from greasy fast food and cheese • Pectate lyase targets the pectin component of wine, juice or lipstick • Protease fights protein-based stains like chocolate, blood or milky coffee Ultra Power is ecostore’s high performance laundry detergent and stain remover, formulated with this mix of advanced renewable enzymes that boost stain fighting by 20%*.
These renewable enzymes work together to lift even dried-on stains. And if used correctly, they won’t fade colours in natural fibres like silk, wool, linen and cotton. A word of warning though, cotton or silk velvets can be extra tricky, so proceed with caution. Tip: Remember to follow the directions on the detergent pack and read your clothing’s care label first. *Results based on front loader performance reports in comparison to regular ecostore laundry liquid
ECOSTORE, 1 Scotland Street, Freemans Bay, T: 09 360 8477, www.ecostore.co.nz
Up to 30% Off Personal Care* From the 16th-30th of June, treat yourself with up to 30% off all personal care!* Head down to check out the deals we have on our trusted ecostore products, our lovely team will be happy to help. *excludes Bulk & Clearance
Shop Hours
Visit us in store
Mon–Fri 10am-6pm Sat–Sun 10am-5pm Public Holidays hours may vary
1 Scotland Street Freemans Bay, Auckland Call & Collect 09 360 8477
PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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FASHION + STYLE
@ ZEBRANO
1.
2.
3.
5.
4.
6.
1. Curate Off Duty Dress, $249
4. LaLA Constance Dress, $459
2. Obi New You Wool Coat, $493
5. Obi Wool Coat With Leather, $593
3. Maaike Lacquer Dress, $383
6. LaLA Cocoon Coat, $777
ZEBRANO, 22 Morrow Street, Newmarket - opposite Westfield, T: 09 523 2500, www.zebrano.co.nz
54 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
QUALITY LIGHTS FOR MAGICAL NIGHTS
20 MT EDEN ROAD | MT EDEN | 09 218 5342 | WWW.THEFAIRYLIGHTSHOP.COM
SHOP EAT DRINK www.ponsonbynews.co.nz
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0800 FOR CAB or 09 376 0392 510 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn www.cab.org.nz
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safe.org.nz PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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FUTURE GENERATION
Kayla-Jackson Shaw and Husna Nazari, AGGS Head Girls 2022
AUCKLAND GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL’S 2022 DYNAMIC DUO Auckland Girls’ Grammar School’s 2022 Dynamic Duo is encouraging Ponsonby parents to take a new look at Auckland’s oldest girls’ school. AGGS has two Head Girls this year, Kayla-Jackson Shaw and Husna Nazari sharing the duties. Both feel they have blossomed exponentially through their five years at Auckland Girls’ and are encouraging local parents and teens to explore AGGS as a real option for an education “just around the corner”. Many students travel from all over Auckland for an AGGS education – and both Husna and Kayla say that’s to the school’s advantage with the melting pot of cultures, views and backgrounds greatly benefiting the school’s students. “We all come from different parts of Auckland and from different socio-economic levels, yet we are literally unified in one big sisterhood, explains Husna. “It’s something I love so much. Starting year nine was terrifying for me. I was the only one from my intermediate school and it was my first day of high school. It was also my first time wearing a hijab so I didn’t know what to expect. But I automatically knew that these girls had me - they were so kind and welcoming.” Husna says that’s a theme which has continued throughout her five years at AGGS, and Kayla agrees the Auckland Girls’ student bond is a unique one. “The best thing about AGGS is the culture and the diversity here, and how through those differences we can really bond and come together, not to mention the sisterhood everyone talks about! It’s nice knowing that you can go to your sisters but also your tuakana - your elders or your senior students – and know that they have your back.” Kayla started at AGGS with a fractured connection to her culture and heritage but says that totally changed with her immersion in the school’s Nga Tumanako o Kahurangi programme – the whanau unit which caters for more than 100 girls at the school. “Kahurangi has really helped me evolve as a person. I can truly say that being in Kahurangi has helped me connect back
to where I’m from, and I feel that every girl who goes through Kahurangi feels the same way.” Whether it’s culture, sport, drama, art or extra-curricular academic activities, both 2022 Head Girls believe there’s literally something for every student who walks through the school’s ornate and historic gates. Says Husna: “There are a lot of choices. Whatever you’re interested in there is something for you at AGGS - sports, sustainability, drama, reading books. Every single thing, we have something on offer. It’s amazing. “And the education is molded to you. I feel like every teacher works their hardest for the students and for their grades. Teachers really care about our education, which I think is lovely.” Kayla’s also a fan of how passionate the AGGS staff are as they nurture their students through their five years at the school. “The teachers here are all amazing. It’s really cool to see how over time you also connect with them – and not just the girls you’re in class with,” says Kayla. “I’ve gotten really close with some of the teachers here and I just know I can go to them for anything. “I was brought up to ask a lot of questions and to not be scared to do so. I’ve challenged a lot here and that inclusion is always welcomed.” With Auckland’s “Open Day Season” fast approaching, Husna agrees. She says while it’s fantastic that AGGS has such a great cross section of students from wider-Auckland, families who live close to Ponsonby and the city should also realise what a valuable education asset they have right on their doorstep. “High school is a time when we discover our identity,” she explains. “And it’s really important to be at a school where you feel safe to do so. I think AGGS is that perfect environment, where girls during their teenage years can figure out who they are and who and where they want to be.” www.aggs.school.nz
56 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
FUTURE GENERATION
I Love Lucy Book Review: Daisy Jones and the Six - 15+ “We love broken, beautiful people. And it doesn't get much more obviously broken and more classically beautiful than Daisy Jones.” In this book, when a record producer working with a band called ‘The Six’ meets a girl named Daisy Jones by chance, he realises that together Daisy and the band will change music history. The fictional band, ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’, become the most legendary and iconic band of the 70s. Their songs are played to this day, and they are widely known as one of the biggest influences on the music industry - yet nobody knows what caused the band’s shocking split. Daisy Jones is an untouchable icon of fantastic songwriting and speaks her mind, but will she be able to overcome her drug addiction? Billy Dunne is the charismatic frontman of The Six. He knows what he wants for his band, and a carefree half-feral girl is not included in his plans. This novel is written in an interview format - each character talks from their point of view on the band. All the characters feel incredibly realistic to the point that for a while I wondered if 'Daisy Jones and The Six' was an actual band from the 70s that I just hadn't heard of before. By un-glamorising the characters’ lives and telling the struggles they go through adds another dimension of realism and makes the characters more relatable. Where some books romanticise addiction, 'Daisy Jones and The Six' showcases the raw and horrific side of it. Overall, this was a compelling read that kept me hooked. An Amazon Prime Video series is coming out based on this novel sometime next year and I’m incredibly excited to binge watch it all as soon as it’s released. (LUCY KENNEDY) PN out of 5! www.lucykennedywriter.wixsite.com/reviews instagram @lucykennedyreviews
AUCKLAND GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL PER ANGUSTA AD AUGUSTA
OPEN DAY
Tuesday 21 June 2022 We invite you to visit our school on Tuesday 21st June. Our Principal will give short talks at 9.30am, 10.30am and 6.30pm. Students will lead tours of the school as part of your visit. All prospecFve students for 2023 and their whānau are very welcome to aHend. We welcome whānau of students interested in enrolling in Ngā Tūmanako o Kahurangi, our Māori Whānau Unit. Auckland Girls’ Grammar School welcomes enrolments from throughout the Auckland region and we hope you will take this opportunity to find out more about us.
Educated at Auckland Girls’ Equipped for the World
Parking is available at Gate 2, Howe Street, Freemans Bay.
MORNING 9.30am – 12.30pm EVENING 6.30pm – 8.30pm For more informa;on please phone 307 4180 or email enrol@aggs.school.nz PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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FUTURE GENERATION
HONOUR MITCHELL: MY
DOUBLE LINE DEBACLE - YES, I HAVE COVID-19... Over the past two years the infamous Covid-19 pandemic has completely changed our society, altered the way we live our lives and has caused so much pain and suffering around the world. Now it has completely taken over New Zealand, with one million-plus reported cases and counting! It's rare not to know someone who has had the virus. I seemed to be part of that group who endlessly dodged the illness, despite multiple brushes with it - until last week. Notwithstanding the numerous negative tests I took while nursing a sore throat, headache and high fever, the two red lines finally appeared on my RAT test!
and perks of living in a small town. I encourage you to jump on Netflix and give this drama/comedy a go if you're feeling a bit under the weather.
I have to say it was somewhat of a relief to find that I hadn’t simply come down with a cold and I was destined to wrestle with Covid-19 at a later date. Also, it was nice to know that once recovered from the virus, there would be no more isolating for at least three months and I wouldn’t have to face the prospect of missing out on something really important, like my upcoming school ball. Another redeeming feature of my experience was that my family all came down with it together so we were able to support each other and keep each other company while shut off from the world.
Whilst I was stuck at home I often felt desperate for fresh air. Once I was up to it, I decided to go for calming walks (don’t worry, I avoided all people and this type of exercise is actually encouraged by the MoH). Some days I would just go around the block, and others I would walk a bit further. These jaunts gave my body some necessary action and I was also able to take in my surroundings. Ponsonby is filled with so many beautiful, leafy streets which are compellingly picturesque during the autumnal months. I just had to take advantage of all this free time! So as the morning sun seeped through the coppery, orange foliage, I put in my earphones and attempted to hike off my malaise.
Nevertheless, a week is a reasonable chunk of time to “lie low”. Hence, I needed a few plans to make the experience more enjoyable. Honestly, the cure to getting through sickness often is binge watching a great TV series. It not only keeps your mind off what you are feeling at the time, but also provides you with some entertainment and hopefully a few laughs. In the autumn months I usually re-watch the classic "Gilmore Girls". A show that is so comforting it makes you instantly relax, cuddle up with a cup of tea and grab a fluffy blanket. For those not in the know, it follows a mother (who fell pregnant as a teenager) and her 16 year old daughter navigating the daily struggles
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It gives you a chance to de-stress, and I promise that you will become emotionally attached to the characters. Another great series to binge watch if you like excitement and glamour is: "Selling Sunset". This TV programme follows Los Angeles real estate agents selling multi-million dollar homes, all while keeping it fashionable and dramatic. It's shows like these that really helped me forget about being sick and not lose my mind to boredom. In fact, the "Selling Sunset" spree became something of a family-bonding bender. The catfights, the clothes, and the luxurious LA landscapes kept us mesmerised and running for a seat on the couch.
In the end I feel the real remedy for Covid-19 was sleep. It may be stating the obvious, but allowing yourself to have at least one nap a day was highly beneficial. Get yourself all cozy and let your head sink deep into the pillow and hey presto - a dreamy, slumber engulfs you. Actually, I became quite a pro, napping all over the place: on the couch, outside with the warm sun on my face, by the fireplace and obviously in my bed. Even though I was barely doing anything, frankly, I was exhausted. Anyhow, I’m done for now and back to normal life. For those currently down with the dreaded virus, wishing you a speedy recovery! (HONOUR MITCHELL) PN
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
FUTURE GENERATION
NUMBERWORKS’NWORDS GREY LYNN The performance of both primary and secondary school students in New Zealand has been declining for more than a decade. Currently, only 60% of 15-year-olds in New Zealand are achieving above the most basic level of reading, meaning a staggering 40% are struggling to read and write. Literacy is essential for achievement across the curriculum. Ensuring that all young people are able to read and write will ultimately have flow on effects for achievement across all school subjects, enabling students to engage more deeply with the full breadth of the curriculum. It is vital parents support their child’s learning and there are several things parents can do to help.
Grey Lynn believe confidence is key to boosting academic results. By working together with families and schools, NumberWorks'nWords Grey Lynn have seen amazing results for their students.
Ways to support your child at home with their literacy learning.
www.numberworksnwords.com/nz
For an initial discussion, email us to book a free assessment for your child today. NUMBERWORKS’NWORDS Grey Lynn, 316 Richmond Rd, T: 09 360 0816, E: greylynn@numberworks.com,
1. Promote reading at home. Have books, magazines, and newspapers available and on hand to read. 2. Encourage 20-30 minutes of reading a night for enjoyment for our upper primary students and high school students. 3. For our lower primary aged students, read nightly, either a book sent home from school or books they have at home. Read aloud together, make it fun! 4. When out and about, read signs, packaging, billboards, timetables for buses, ferries, planes, etc. 5. Try to find a genre or series of books to hook your kids in so they want to keep reading. This will develop a lifelong love of reading. 6. For our reluctant readers, get them reading anything they are interested in or have a passion for. This might be sports or gaming magazines, content, comics, news from around the world, the Guinness book of records, or minecraft books. Anything is better than nothing! NumberWorks’nWords has a fantastic literacy programme that suits all learners, from reluctant readers or writers to students who love English and need extension. The learning programmes cover essential skills which students need to have to be successful in the classroom and beyond. Individualised tuition programmes include reading, comprehension, language skills (spelling and grammar), and writing for years 1 - 11. The team at NumberWorks’nWords
PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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FUTURE GENERATION
STRETCHING GIRLS’ MINDS AT ST CUTHBERT’S St Cuthbert’s Junior School’s innovative ‘Stretch’ programme stretches the mind and gives girls a great foundation in STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). As a result, students receive a hands-on, engaging education from passionate and committed teachers, to fully equip them for the future. At St Cuthbert’s Junior School, learning is fun and interactive. St Cuthbert’s Stretch programme empowers girls to question, learn, and grow together. Girls across Years 0 - 6 all experience science, technology, engineering, dance, drama, coding, robotics, languages and visual arts. The programme is designed by our experienced junior and senior teachers, resulting in an increased depth of knowledge from an early age. Every Wednesday afternoon, teachers and students alike look forward to the inspiration each Stretch session brings, creating and exploring concepts together.
St Cuthbert’s Junior School teachers say it’s incredibly special seeing the girls’ confidence grow. “This amazing programme helps uncover special and new talents, while stretching our students’ minds. It offers our girls another learning experience, enabling all our students to thrive and find their unique strengths.” The classes are hands-on, creative and full of wonder. Many girls demonstrate natural talents for particular subjects gravitating to these, and teachers nurture their talents and interests so they can be further explored in Senior School. For more information on St Cuthbert’s Junior School, and the innovative Stretch programme please visit stcuthberts.school.nz/juniorschool
The girls collaborate on a common project and are encouraged to solve problems and to think differently, challenging themselves and one another, all while having fun. This experiential learning and teamwork fosters curiosity, perseverance, and resilience as well as leadership. Girls can explore a range of STEAM concepts and learn through their successes, as well as when things don’t quite go to plan.
Our Junior School is very close to full for 2023. We are accepting applications for 2024 and beyond. Please contact admissions@stcuthberts.school.nz at any time to seek advice on places.
ST CUTHBERT’S, Year 0 – 13, 122 Market Road, Epsom T: 09 520 8472, www.stcuthberts.school.nz
60 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
Amazing energy
PONSONBY PROFESSIONALS
LOGAN GRANGER:
PERCY WOOTTON, INSURANCE DESIGN LIMITED
Why your business needs Cyber Insurance.
Many SME owners believe that they don’t have to worry too much about cyber-crime. After all, why would Internet villains bother with small fry when they could go after heavy hitters such as Yahoo, eBay or Uber? Unfortunately, cyber criminals take an equal-opportunity approach. While they can and do target large organisations, they also realise such organisations have the resources to spend big on cybersecurity. It’s often quicker and easier for them to extort $1,000 from 1,000 small businesses they’ve infected with ransomware than to try to hack into a larger business in the hopes of earning $1million. It’s the cyber-attacks that devastate multinationals or large government departments, such as Petya and WannaCry that get all the media attention. But, without generating any headlines, tech-savvy crooks target millions of SMEs each year. “Microsoft claims cybercrime now costs the global economy around US$500 billion (NZ$776 billion) annually and that 20 per cent of SMEs have been targeted by malicious actors.” What is cyber-crime?
Cyber-crime includes all of the following: • Identity theft • Cyber stalking • Use of malware • Use of viruses • Computer and network hacking • Online scams • Phishing scams • Fraud • Information theft • Extortion Everybody who uses a computer– or even just a mobile phone or iPad – for work purposes, can be a victim of cyber crime. What happens if my security is breached?
The two cybercrimes SME owners most need to be worried about are ransomware attacks and data breaches. A ransomware attack involves a business’s files being encrypted and thus rendered unusable. In the digital age, this can quickly result in operations grinding to halt, which in turn soon means revenue stops flowing in. Business owners often pay a substantial but not excessive ransom (the average demand is around $1,000) to have their files unencrypted. In the case of a data breach, the cybercriminal steals data (think addresses and bank account details) about a business’s customers or, more rarely, staff. This data is then used for identity theft, fraud or extortion.
In the past, a SME that failed to safeguard the personal data it was entrusted with typically only had to worry about suffering reputational and legal consequences in the event word of the data breachgot out. In February, the Federal Government introduced the Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) scheme. As the name suggests, this requires organisations, including businesses, to notify individuals affected by data breaches likely to result in serious harm. Failing to comply with the NDB scheme can attract fines of up to $2.1 million. Of course, complying with it could result in your clients making legal claims against you. At the very least, those clients will not be inclined to place their trust in your business in future. But I’ve got a firewall!
It’s both possible and advisable to minimise the risk of a cyberattack. This is done through some combination of the following: • • • • •
Installing reputable anti-virus programs Having secure data back-ups Firewall technology Data encryption Introducing and enforcing sensible policies around the use of equipment (especially BYOD gear) such as laptops and smartphones
Unfortunately, even if you do have all the right systems and software in place, your business is still at risk. If major banks, governments and even Google can fall victim to cyberattacks, anyone can. What does cyber insurance cover?
Fortunately, while you can never 100 per cent guarantee your cybersecurity won’t be breached, you can insure against the costs that often arise in such a situation. A cyber insurance policy cancover you for expenses related to the following: • Interrupted business • Hiring negotiators and paying a ransom • Recovering or replacing records or data • Liability and loss of third-party data • Defence of legal claims • Copyright infringement • Misuse of intellectual property online • Crisis management and monitoring • Prevention of further attacks OK, what do I do now?
If you’d like to learn more about Cyber Insurance please contact us at Johnston Associates and we will refer you onto one of the Insurance Design teams. Disclaimer – While all care has been taken, Johnston Associates Chartered Accountants Ltd and its staff accept no liability for the content of this article; always see your professional advisor before taking any action that you are unsure about.
JOHNSTON ASSOCIATES, 14 St Marys Bay Road, T: 09 361 6701, www.jacal.co.nz
14 St Marys Bay Road, St Marys Bay
62 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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HOME WHERE THE HEART IS
BLAIR HADDOW:
REOPENING OF BORDER TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS SEES RENEWED INTEREST IN GREATER PONSONBY RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES The reopening of New Zealand’s international travel borders has seen a renewed interest in residential properties for sale around Central Auckland’s western city fringes – thanks to the growing number of cashed-up new arrivals coming into the country.
Blair Haddow said the bubbling activity he was tracking at the upper end of the residential property market in his specialist western central city fringes, indicated that the sector was somewhat different from patterns seen elsewhere around the region in the mid-price range.
Leading residential real estate salesperson Blair Haddow from Bayleys Ponsonby said the change in buyer dynamic had been evident since the end of March when travel back to New Zealand became easier for those coming from foreign shores, both as Kiwis returning home and new migrants.
“My buyers are experienced and highly-funded property owners who are well up the proverbial property ladder and this is reflected in the style of homes which they are seeking,” said Blair.
“In that time alone for example I’ve been working with an expat’ Kiwi who has returned to New Zealand after an extensive period in London, and an Australian company executive who has relocated to Auckland and is specifically looking to buy in the Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Herne Bay, or Westmere areas,” said Blair Haddow. “The international interest trend is also tracking through emails where I’m now regularly receiving enquires, and the first thing they say in the email is something like: ‘Hi Blair, I’m currently based in London/New York/Middle East/Sydney/ Melbourne etc. and looking to come back to Auckland in the next month or so and just wondering if you can tell me a bit more about your listing's. I haven’t seen that type of tone for 18 months. “That shows they’re doing their groundwork/homework on the property market before they arrive. So while the number of physical ‘feet on the ground’ coming in from abroad is a trickle at the moment, there is a definite bigger flow looming on the horizon in the very near future. “Virtually all of those international buyers I’m corresponding with tell me that they have sold up their existing homes and are coming to Auckland cashed up and ready to buy, thereby avoiding any of the issues first home buyers are experiencing as a result of the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act. Saying that, a mortgage broker who presented to the Bayleys Ponsonby team this month has indicated that the banks are becoming more liberal with their lending policies to existing borrowers and reverting back in many cases to assessing mortgage borrowing potential in a more traditional framework which the market is more comfortable with.”
17 Harcourt Street
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With listing stock still ticking over in the Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Herne Bay and Westmere suburbs, Blair has two new listings in June, featuring: 17 Harcourt Street in Grey Lynn – a fully transformed designer three-bedroom/two-bathroom villa, with stunning newlyadded high-stud extension housing the kitchen, dining room and lounge in an open-plan format with full height windows opening onto the deck and manicured rear lawn with its inground swimming pool. Immaculately presented, the split-level home, with design aspects spanning two centuries, features American oak floorboards and marble counter tops engendering the epitome of style and luxury in a light-filled residence which comes straight out of the pages of an interior design magazine. Blair is marketing the home with a set sale date. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum and representing very loyal longstanding clients with one of their rentals on Blair Haddow’s books is: A two-bedroom/one-bathroom flat in a block of four units in Don Croot Street, Kingsland. With two car parks, the 1970s style concrete block flat has been recently refurbished with new carpet throughout, along with the addition of a new kitchen and new bathroom making it perfect for a ‘readymade’ entry level residence, or well situated for an investment property thanks to its proximity to the vibrant hospitality hub of Kingsland. www.facebook.com/BlairHaddow
4B Don Croot
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
@ Dawson & Co. Alabaster ring pendant light by Bleu Nature RRP from $5,599 Nikiti floor lamp by Bleu Nature RRP $2,949 Optical table lamp by VeniceM RRP $5,760 Frozen sconce by Timothy Oulton RRP $3,659
DAWSON & CO., Northshore Showroom, 38 Constellation Drive, Rosedale T: 09 476 1121, Parnell Showroom, 115 The Strand, Parnell; info@dawsonandco.nz www.dawsonandco.nz PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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THE PERFECT BEDROOM Lahood® Window Furnishings will help you make design decisions to create bedrooms that you and your family can retreat to for quality sleep, relaxation, and that cosy feeling of luxury and comfort. Creating the perfect bedroom relies on strong decorating decisions, from paint colours and fabrics to stylish headboards, statement lighting and sumptuous window furnishing from Lahood. The good news is your bedroom is full of design potential. All that's required is a little creativity to make the most of the space you have and turn your room into a dreamy retreat. Knowing your style helps to narrow down your choices when shopping for furniture and décor. Are you looking at light and neutral palettes with a touch of simplicity and shape or the soft romanticism of pastel colours with occasional deeper highlights? Maybe you are yearning for a lot of metallic with dark accent colours and sleek silhouettes. Once you’ve established your style you can get to the fun stuff:
headboards. Upholstered and buttoned headboards can add the ultimate luxury style and add real comfort to the bed. Stepping from the bed the rich warmth of a plush bedside rug adds cosiness and warmth while adding additional design interest. Visit Lahood’s stunning showroom at 104 Mt Eden Road and talk to our experienced and award-winning design team about your bedroom window furnishing ideas. From inspiration to installation, Lahood® Window Furnishings have it all. Phone 0800 LAHOOD to book an in-home design consultation. www.lahood.co.nz
The bed is most likely the largest piece of furniture in your bedroom. Choose carefully and let the bed be the focal point of the room. Consider your senses and embrace how things look, feel, smell, and sound. When it comes to your sense of touch, start with your sheets. Consider the options of fabrics such as linen, bamboo, or organic cotton. It's always a good idea to splurge on your bed linens, pillows and cushions. When you're making your ultimate bedding checklist, don't forget a sumptuously cosy throw blanket for an extra dreamy finish. All these can match or contrast with your beautiful bespoke window furnishings by Lahood. Headboards are a practical as well as a décor element. Fabric on a headboard can be completely personalised depending on the bedroom. Whether you’re looking for a neutral tone or a bright splash of colour, you can pick and choose with fabric
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
e l e g a n t ... a l w a y s t i m e l e s s ... f o r e v e r
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HOME WHERE THE HEART IS
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL After spending several years modernising their lovely family home at Cheltenham Beach with beautiful results, the owners now wanted a new kitchen to match. Through a friend they found kitchen designer Jane Fergusson from Takapuna-based Kitchens By Design, and have been delighted by the transformation she has achieved. Could you tell us a little about you and your family, and also about your home – in particular, describe the existing kitchen before the makeover?
We are a family of four and are lucky enough to live in a very special part of the world, Cheltenham Beach. My kitchen was about 15 years old and while the materials were still fashionable, such as marble and stainless, it wasn’t a well-functioning kitchen in terms of storage and design. How did you come across Kitchens By Design, and why did you choose them to design your new kitchen?
They were recommended by a friend. I actually started the process with another kitchen designer, but wasn’t satisfied following the initial consultation and drawings, as I felt they were very happy to draw up what I wanted without actually making any recommendations, or suggesting alternatives. As I am not a kitchen designer, I really did need someone to take the lead and be confident enough to tell me if my ideas might not actually be the right way to go. What was your brief to the designer, and how did it evolve?
My brief to Jane was that I wanted a sophisticated kitchen that stayed pretty much in the same footprint, but that allowed for ease of access to kitchen items, with good pantry storage, space for a new double fridge, and one that was going to last the distance by using classic yet practical materials. For example, I love the look of marble – however it was suggested that I instead use Dekton, which is a man-made blend of natural quartz stone, porcelain and glass, and is super strong. How did the designer translate your brief – and was it what you expected?
Jane was perfect in every way. She listened to my ideas and understood my vision. She was very good at listening to suggestions and re-directing me if she felt, due to her vast experience, that perhaps a move in another direction might achieve a better outcome. What were some of the most enjoyable and memorable moments of the process?
Meeting Jane at the kitchen factory and seeing it all coming together was amazing and a huge relief to see it was looking exactly as we had planned. There were never any surprises, as everything was explained clearly every step of the way. What are your favourite parts of your new kitchen?
I love all the wonderful storage and ease of access to everything. Also, the way the materials all work together to reflect my personality and taste is wonderful. What would be your advice to anyone who’s thinking of having a new kitchen designed?
Whilst the process is reasonably long, it is worth it in the end, as every day you get so much pleasure from being in a gorgeous, well-designed kitchen. How did you find the experience of working with Kitchens By Design?
As well as meeting at their showroom in Takapuna, Jane arranged regular after-hours, on-site consultations to fit in with our busy working lives and to ensure my husband could also be part of the consultations and design process.
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Nothing was ever too annoying, and no question was too silly to ask. Jane also liaised with all the contractors when needed and was on site to meet them if I had to be at work. There was a constant calmness throughout the process. Honestly, I was so impressed with Kitchens By Design, and I will be shouting that from the rooftops. If you thinking about putting in a new kitchen, give the team at Kitchens By Design a call, or pop into their showroom at 3 Byron Avenue, Takapuna, T: 09 379 3084. And for inspiration, take a look at their website at www.kitchensbydesign.co.nz PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
HOME WHERE THE HEART IS
Visit our showroom today. 3 Byron Avenue, Takapuna (09) 379 3084
A seamless, modern design.
kitchensbydesign.co.nz PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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STYLE AND STAGE YOUR HOME WHEN SELLING… Selling your family home can be one of the most stressful and emotionally draining times for a home owner. It can look a bit worn and tired from everyday living with marks on walls, worn carpets and fading furniture, making it harder to sell. But with Rigby & Co Home Staging it doesn’t have to be.
• sell your home faster • sell your home for greater value • make your home more appealing to more people • attract better buyers
Well executed home staging draws the eye away from these ‘sale inhibitors’ and allows buyers to focus on the positives. We ensure that it stands out from other properties on the market by making it look warm and inviting, modern and contemporary, and we have a range of home staging styles to best suit your property and help it sell more quickly and for a higher price.
And we do this by treating the property like it was our own and it was our property we were selling. In this way we ensure we don’t miss ’the little hidden things’ that can mean the difference between success and failure, a great sale, or no sale at all.
When working with Rigby & Co Home Staging, you will work directly with me, Vanessa. I am the owner of the company and a qualified interior designer so you can be assured of professional and personalised one-to-one service. I’ll help ensure we: • maximise the sale potential of your home
“Thank you Vanessa. Your amazing vision and wonderful sense of style most certainly helped us achieve a fantastic sale price for our property. Potential purchasers all made comments about how well the property was presented. Your easy manner and great communication made it so easy for us. We applaud you and could not recommend your services highly enough. Well done!” - ANNIE
For more information please contact Vanessa Rigby on 027 772 0606; vanessa@rigbyandco.nz; www.rigbyandco.nz
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
HOME WHERE THE HEART IS
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ARTS + CULTURE
@ OREXART GALLERY Peter James Smith An artist, traveler, and mathematician, highly celebrated, deeply emersed in the landscape and the stories it can tell us, Peter takes his paintbrush, maths and poetry into the Milford and Dusky Sounds to capture the waterfalls in all their glory. Not only does he take us there but also out to Lord Howe Island to measure the wind forces of cyclones in the painting ‘Curvature of the Wind.’ These are paintings where mathematics, history, and romanticism connect us to the wonders of our world. Open: Tuesday – Saturday 11am to 5pm. PN
Falls, Nine Fathoms Passage, Dusky Sound. 61 x 91cm $9500
Curvature of the Wind, Lord Howe Island. 64 x 86cm $9500
OREXART, 221 Ponsonby Road, E:rex@orexart.co.nz www.orexart.co.nz
72 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
ARTS + CULTURE
@ SCOTT LAWRIE GALLERY Clothing Maketh the Man: Oliver King (4 June – 25 June) Whether we’re dressing up, or dressing down, outward appearances are a social contract for many of us. There’s a stark contrast, for example, between our comfy evening gear and how we present ourselves in more formal settings. And it’s this latter formality that Oliver King explores in his latest show at Scott Lawrie Gallery. Using large-scale collaged assemblages, often using his father’s clothes, Oliver upsets this exchange so the paintings can’t ‘keep up with appearances’, try as they might. They are magnificent explorations of abstraction. Yet the artist does make it easy for us to subjectively ‘like’ them. And that’s exactly the point. Oliver is questioning not only the role of clothing as a mask to conceal reality, but its formal uses to project notions of power, stature, and authority. It’s something of an obsession for the artist, who explores the second skins and masks we wear to reinforce our sense of presence by presenting ‘the best side of ourselves’ rather than who we actually are.
As formal paintings, they work brilliantly. Wrestled materials clash with contrasting paint stripes, folded and crushed forms compete for visual authority, and the clothing is stripped away from its function to serve as raw materials for composition and movement. These are exciting and visually demanding works. There are, of course, deeper and more personal meanings in this show. To expand on these, Dina Jezdic has written an insightful essay. In it she says, ‘We all know what it is to want from our parents, and how much of that wanting is a desire to be seen, loved and accepted. As children this is how we learn to be vulnerable and to openly ask for things we need. When we are denied that primal want, we pretend to want something else entirely, to avoid the shame of rejection, supplication and insignificance.’ The show is on at Scott Lawrie Gallery in Mt Eden and opens on Saturday 4 June from 11am-5pm (drinks between 2pm-4pm). All welcome! PN
SCOTT LAWRIE, Shed 10, The Steelworks 13 Coles Avenue (off Valley Road), T: 021 0826 5633, www.scottlawrie.com PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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Persister 2022 (detail), vintage taxidermy quail, porcelain, polymer clay, crystals, wood base and glass dome
@ {SUITE} GALLERY Angela Singer - 'Imagine What You Dread', 9 June - 3 July A bold colourful future where flora and fauna lose their boundaries by adapting to survive fills Angela Singer’s new exhibition of arresting stitched wall works and sculptures of handmade and found materials, including vintage taxidermy. Beautiful yet also captivatingly strange, her work imagines how animals and plants might create new forms of life through unusual mutations to survive the human assault on the planet. Pairing the recognisable with abstract, she conjures mutable boundaries transforming under the pressure of sped-up unnatural cycles of creation and destruction, bloom and decay. Angela Singer’s work was featured in a solo exhibition Second Sight, Dowse Museum in (2020/21), and included in exhibitions Curious Creatures & Marvellous Monsters Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (2018), and Dead Animals, or the Curious Occurrence of Taxidermy in Contemporary Art, David Winton Bell Gallery, List Art Center, Rhode Island, USA (2016). Please join Angela at the exhibition opening on Thursday 9th June, 5.30-7.30pm, free admission, all welcome. {Suite} GALLERY, 189 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 218 4399, www.suite.co.nz
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
ARTS + CULTURE Heidi Brickell at Grey
Wanda Gillespie at Grey
Detail of Peata Larkin's work at Grey
UPTOWN ART SCENE While the negative connotations of isolation currently plague most of us, for artists the opportunity to dedicate weeks alone on the wild west coast is a boon for their creative drive. Grey is the place in Grey Lynn where artists and arts
organisations can present exhibitions, run by the effervescent Jade Bentley, who also owns Art Associates. Last month, Grey hosted a show by the 2021 Karekare House Artists in Residence: Heidi Brickell, Peata Larkin, Tira Walsh, Richard Adams, Louise Menzies, Reece King and Wanda Gillespie. The Residence is a partnership between Eden Arts Trust and Karekare House Trust operating since 2017, and offers artists
Reece King at Grey
a three month stay in the historic home of author Dorothy Butler. To remain creative, it’s important to have time for the mind to wander. The landscape at Karekare is made for blowing the cobwebs away, with its prevailing winds singing against the stony cliffs, and the drama of the Tasman walloping the black sands. Its histories are just as dramatic, with early 19th Century battles between Te Kawerau and Nga Puhi, the Kauri logging, and here is one of the few places where pre-European textiles have been preserved. All this is potent inspiration for artists. Heidi Brickell worked with rimurapa “bull kelp” in a playful way, yet the resulting sculptures represented ties to her tipuna and their relationship
to the sea. Her canvas works feature stitched fabric pieces in sandy colours and swirls reminiscent of waves. Wanda Gillespie created counting tablets with the Kauri cone pattern as a central design, suggesting the elasticity of time spent on the shore. For Peata Larkin in her net-like artworks, her frame of mind was at the forefront, suffused in the goldenyellow glow of her “happy colour”. This exhibition demonstrates the work of artists given the time to think and feel their way into fresh work. Splendid isolation indeed! PN EVAN WOODRUFFE, Studio Art Supplies www.studioart.co.nz
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Melanie Lançon
ST MATTHEW’S CHAMBER ORCHESTRA IS LIVE AGAIN Sunday 19 June 2.30pm, Conductor Josh Kirk. Soloist Melanie Lançon PROGRAMME Ritchie, Underwater Music Mozart Flute concerto No. 1 K. 313 in G Foote A Night Piece Haydn Symphony No. 103 in E flat “Drumroll” United States born Melanie Lançon has been described as being a beguiling player, lauded for her dazzling performances and for producing a full lustrous tone on her flute. She was appointed Principal Flute of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in 2018 and made her solo debut with the orchestra in 2020. Ms Lançon has enjoyed a vibrant career abroad and here in New Zealand and will perform Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 1 K. 313 in G, at this concert. This is a must go-to. Joshua Kirk is an emerging New Zealand conductor. He has conducted a number of professional Australian and New Zealand orchestras, including the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the APO, and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra is an accomplished orchestra performing a wide repertoire of music and is dedicated to providing performance opportunities for New Zealand musicians, composers and conductors. PN www.smco.org.nz
Sun 19 June at 2.30pm
TICKETS Eventfinda or Door sales. EFTPOS or Cash. Adults $30, Concessions $25, Children under 12 free, Student Rush on the day $15. NB: attendees will need to comply with any Covid-19 protocols in place at the time of the concert. ST MATTHEW-IN-THE-CITY, 132 Hobson Street, corner Wellesley & Hobson Streets, T: 09 379 0625, www.stmatthews.nz.
programme
Ritchie, A Underwater Music Mozart Flute Concerto No 1 K313 in G Foote A Night Piece Haydn Symphony No 103 in E flat, “Drum Roll” soloist Melanie Lançon conductor Josh Kirk st matthew-in-the-city Cnr of Wellesley & Hobson Street, Auckland City
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PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
ARTS + CULTURE
A FEW MINUTES WITH DIXIE FINLAYSON We asked the owner of Artmount & Framing Matters to tell us her story... Firstly tell us about your history.
I stumbled into framing in my early 20s. A student friend had a part time job in a workshop and said they were looking for help. My initial reaction was “framing, is that even a profession? What on earth?” However, after a few weeks I knew that I had found my place and tribe! I first started my own framing business working from the basement of a friend’s house in Grey Lynn. An opportunity then arose to move into a workspace with Artmount on the Strand in Parnell, where I stayed for 27 years and purchased Artmount, changing the business name from Framing Matters to Artmount & Framing Matters. Earlier this year AMFM moved into 82 Newton Rd, which has been a great opportunity to create and design the space to fit my vision of my dream workshop. What is your favourite part of your job?
The people and the art! I love our client’s reactions when they collect their work and see the transformation of their piece once it’s framed, awesome! What do your customers say about you?
I have been very fortunate to have worked with some amazing and very skilled staff over the years and I think
this really shines through with customers who appreciate the knowledge that we apply to their artwork - whether design or technically speaking. At present I have such a great team and am very proud of their accomplishments and skill. I am also exceptionally lucky to have amazing loyal customers! Every day we get to meet interesting people, some of whom are only discovering us now we are on Newton Road. We frame for several key galleries so get to work alongside very talented gallery owners and staff who are so passionate and specialised at what they do. I am often amazed and inspired by these people! What has been your biggest challenge of late?
Relocating our business to the new premises was a massive undertaking, but we got there with the support of staff and close friends. Covid-19 has been a real challenge for myself and staff but we have adapted by constantly “hunting the good stuff”, and the support of our regular customers has been humbling! We are now well versed at managing the supply crisis that had a massive impact on the framing industry and we are now stocked up and have the ability to meet our client’s deadlines in a post-Covid world.
ARTMOUNT & FRAMING MATTERS, 82 Newton Road, T: 09 309 2020, www.artmountandframingmatters.co.nz
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STREAMING ARTS + CULTURE GUIDE Shortland Street, Kura Forrester, 30th Anniversary episode
JUNE 2022 STREAMING GUIDE - LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE LOCALS The New Zealand media landscape is poised for massive change, with local talent, content makers, and diverse audiences being the winners. Expect more local content across more places as the $327 million dollar merger of TVNZ with RNZ is rolled out and additional funding streams come online to support ‘crown funding’. Aotearoa has so many great stories, storytellers, and entertaining creatives that these initiatives are sure to mean we will see ourselves more accurately reflected throughout local (and perhaps international) media platforms and we will surely learn about more of ourselves in the process. It is something Māori Television has strived to do for almost two decades. The broadcaster's recent announcement of a name change to Whakaata Māori is a move to better reflect its role in championing Te Reo Māori and the diverse range of Māori stories and nuance of experiences. WHAKAATA MĀORI AND MĀORI+ Queer and Here
From the moment host Aniwa Whaiapu Koloamatangi speaks, this documentary series draws you in and you are hooked. Very quickly you get the sense that this will be part adventure, part learning journey, and thoroughly authentic. As one of the interviewees comments, “The days of people speaking for others is coming to an end". Aniwa too is on a learning journey, not claiming to know all the answers he gives a voice to a diverse range of people within the LGBTQ+ community. TVNZ ONDEMAND Lego Masters
This is fun reality television, full of colour, creative tension and a lot of lego pieces. There is something very satisfying about building with your own hands and even for those of us who struggle to follow lego instructions, this show is inspiring. The ability of the contestants to design, tell a story and build under pressure is as mind-blowing as what they are able to build. Their constructions are truly a sight to marvel and with lots of tricky conditions and surprises delivered with a smile by Dai Henwood it must be hard for these adults to keep their cool when things literally start to fall apart.
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Shortland Street
Celebrating 30 years on New Zealand screens, Shortland Street is like a true old friend; the kind you don’t see for months or even years, but when you do, you just pick up as if no time has passed. There would be few New Zealanders who have not had a period in their life when Shorty Street wasn’t their regular go-to local show. Its storylines track contemporary issues and local pop culture, filtering and reflecting versions of Aotearoa that will continue to evolve, resonate and be relevant to New Zealand audiences for decades to come. So many of our most talented directors, writers, producers, camera crew, sound engineers, editors and of course actors, have developed and refined their skills during the show’s 30 year history. It has a legacy that can be seen in so many different areas of our entertainment landscape. It has launched many careers and continues to bring to our screens so many talented actors. True to its genre, it’s full of typical soap opera styled characters, but there is something different about them. These globally recognised archetypes are set apart by their local authenticity.
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
STREAMING GUIDE
TVNZ On Demand, LEGO Masters NZ, Dai Henwood & Robin Sather E-TANGATA
E-Tangata is an online platform dedicated to building a stronger Māori and Pacific presence in the New Zealand media. Moana Jackson - Portrait of a Quiet Revolutionary
NETFLIX, Cousins
This intimate, warm and beautifully executed documentary tracks the life of the late Moana Jackson, one of the nation’s most significant constitutional lawyers for indigenous rights. His tireless work over decades helped shape the thinking around the rights of indigenous people all over the world. Beautifully shot with a great mix of interviews and historical footage, this is a well executed documentary about a quiet speaking man whose words will continue to boom for generations to come. Free to view on E-Tangata, NZ Herald and YouTube. NETFLIX
This film has a 100% rating on Tomatometer and is a must see if you have a Netflix subscription and missed it on the big screen. It is a showcase of local storytelling and acting talent. The story brings to life the novel of the same name by renowned author
Patricia Grace (grab it from your favourite local bookseller if you haven’t read it recently) and is a thoroughly compelling film experience. It is great to see Netflix including more and more local content on its streaming platform.
E-Tangata, Moana Jackson - Portrait of a Quiet Revolutionary
Cousins
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THE PONSONBY PINK PAGES
Glenys Lindsay
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The Covert Theatre in Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby is NZ’s home of improvised comedy. With workshops and shows every night of the week there is something for everyone. Be sure to check out www.coverttheatre.com
You can support all the good giggle’s by donation right here, www.coverttheatre.com/how-to-help Registered charity CC53421
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LUKE CROCKFORD CONNECTING WITH THE COMMUNITY “As we all know it has been a tedious few years regarding Covid-19 which have affected many with their work life, family life and school life. Over the Christmas break it had me thinking about the children and how much this has affected them with home learning and not being able to be around their friends and classmates. It made me think of my own children and question what I could do to help local children understand that school is still relevant and important. Because of this I decided to donate to Richmond Road School, which I have supported over the last six/seven years in the form of sponsorship and fundraising. It was my pleasure to present the school with a $5,000 cheque. It certainly has been tough on the children so it was great knowing I was able to give something back to the community in these times. For me it has always been about the little things that can change people’s lives.” – Luke Crockford.
"Luke wants this money to be used for our tamariki to have positive and rewarding experiences. We are in the process of asking our children and staff what might be a good positive experience to have as a whole school to enjoy and celebrate our successes during such a challenging time. Thank you Luke Crockford!” – Emma Tolmie. www.facebook.com/LukeCrockfordRealEstate
Words from Emma Tolmie (Deputy Principal of Richmond Road School) "Richmond Road School has appreciated the support and partnership with Luke Crockford over the last seven years. His support began with providing sports uniforms with our school logo. Other donations have supported things not provided by the Ministry of Education, such as funding playground apparatus for our children and stall equipment for a successful PTA gala and community event. Without the support, our tamariki would not have the extras that people like Luke provide to our kura which makes being at school fun. "We are fortunate to have people like Luke Crockford from Ray White who support our school. Not only has Luke paid to advertise his business with us this year, but has also given another $5000 for our school to acknowledge how well our community has done over these past two years and come back together in person this year.
82 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
Ray White Damerell Group Limited Licensed (REAA 2008)
Stress-free Professional Genuine Energy
Helpful
Well Connected Proven Track Record With Clients Accommodating & Understanding
Local Knowledge Expertise, Empathetic, Integrity, Hard Working, Tenacity
Luke Crockford Connecting PEOPLE with PROPERTY Grey Lynn & surrounds
021 277 8565 luke.crockford@raywhite.com
LukeCrockfordRealEstate
@lukecrockfordraywhite
84 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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