The Hobson Sept 15

september 2015

Fathers, Sons & Daughters Our Father’s Day portfolio

grammar cooks • enterprising locals • dad gifts community news, views & informed opinions

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DUR AVIT

DORNBR ACHT

AL APE

GL ASS DESIGN

VOL A

September, Issue No. 21 6

26

40

the editor’s letter

the hobson suggests

the psyche

Remuera Rise's hospital level care facility

Dr Amrit Kaur helps children face, and

8

manage, overwhelming emotions

the columnists

28 the handsome

10

41

Melissa Williams-King offers a grooming array for Father's Day gifts

the second act

the village Land movements, old boys rise up at King's School, a stylish sister act in Remuera — all the things you need to know, plus updates from local boards

17 the suburbanist

29 the wellbeing Naturopath and trainer Lee Parore goes deep into cellular energy

the hobson suggests

18

Love handles be gone! Prescription Skin Care talks about CoolSculpting

Columns from local MPs David Seymour and Paul Goldsmith

20 the plan Urban planner Hamish Firth asks for just a little bit of sugar

21 the investment Warren Couillault on the importance of investing offshore

22 the district diary

42 the cinema Caitlin McKenna's picks of this month's movies

29

Tommy Honey fronts up for the new flag

the reps

More time for tennis? Forget it, says Sandy Burgham — an empty nest can mean a revitalised career.

43 the bookmark Reviewer Gail Woodward selects a stack of great reads

31 the hobson suggests Lumino The Dentists consider the orthodontic options for your child

44 the cookbook Exclusive to THE HOBSON: recipes from A Taste of Grammar: Auckland Grammar School's first ever recipe book

32 the portfolio Sound familiar? Local dads and their kids share some paternal wisdom in honour of Father's Day

47 the sound Andrew Dickens laments our lack of music venues

38 the magpie Stuck for ideas for a father-worthy gift?

You won't be after reading this

48 the anzacs Remuera Heritage chair Sue Cooper honours two Remuera nurses

What's going on around here this month

Start your engine, Dad ...

Courtesy of the good people at Jerry Clayton BMW, we are giving away a special Father's Day prize of an ultimate BMW Driving Experience Day, valued at $690. The BMW Driving Experience helps acquire essential driving techniques and safety skills in a fun and rewarding on-track environment. It's a full day, and action-packed, driving a BMW M Sport. For more information, visit www.bmw.co.nz/driving experience.

To win this prize, tell us in no more than 50 words why yours should be the winning entry. Send your entry to business@thehobson.co.nz by 5pm, Friday September 18, 2015, with "BMW" in the subject line.

We'll publish the finalists when we announce our winner.

THE HOBSON will decide the winner based on the most appealing/ compelling/intriguing reason, and our decision will be final.

The driver taking up the prize must be aged 25 or over, and hold a current NZ driver's licence.

the hobson 2

Jerry Clayton BMW

Takapuna

INTRODUCING THE NEW BMW X3 XDRIVE 35D.

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Drive-away from $126,900 or

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per week.*

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Jerry Clayton BMW 445 Lake Road, Takapuna. (09) 488 2000. www.jcbmw.co.nz *Offer based on the BMW X3 xDrive 35d with a Drive-Away Price of $126,900. Finance offer based on a 48 month loan agreement with $31,725 deposit and 47 monthly payments of $1,732.63 ($433 weekly).The final payment of $45,684 in month 48 is a Guaranteed Future Value based on the vehicle travelling 60,000 kilometres in total. Excess mileage charges and vehicle condition charges may be payable on return of the vehicle when assessed. A fixed 10.99% p.a. interest rate applies and a $250 booking fee is included The total amount payable is $158,842.61. Offer expires 30/09/2015 and is subject to BMW Financial Services lending criteria.

issue 21, september 2015 Editor & Publisher Kirsty Cameron editor@thehobson.co.nz Art Direction & Production Stephen Penny design@thehobson.co.nz Advertising Sales Sarah-Jane Cooper thehobsonads@gmail.com Writers Kirsty Cameron, Zac Fleming, Melissa Williams-King Proofreader Fiona Wilson Columnists & Contributors This Issue Sandy Burgham, Shale Chambers, Sue Cooper, Warren Couillault, Andrew Dickens, Hamish Firth, Paul Goldsmith, Tommy Honey, Amrit Kaur, Caitlin McKenna, Lee Parore, David Seymour, Desley Simpson, Justine Williams, Melissa Williams-King, Gail Woodward Photographers Pete Bruggerman, Olivia Hemus, Anna Kidman, Stephen Penny, Nick Tresidder Cover Fathers, grandfathers, sons, daughters from our community, photographed by Nick Tresidder.

See The Portfolio, page 32

THE HOBSON is published 10 times a year by The Hobson Limited, PO Box 37490 Parnell, Auckland 1151. www.thehobson.co.nz F: TheHobsonMagazine T: @thehobson Ideas, suggestions, advertising inquiries welcome. editor@thehobson.co.nz Or via Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheHobsonMagazine

THE HOBSON is Remuera and Parnell’s community magazine. We deliver into letterboxes in these neighbourhoods, and copies are also at local libraries, cafes, and at businesses including Vicky Ave and White Heron dairies, and Paper Plus Parnell.

For more about us, visit www.thehobson.co.nz or TheHobsonMagazine on Facebook.

The content of THE HOBSON is copyright. Our words, our pictures. Don’t steal, and don’t borrow without checking with us first. We aim for accuracy but cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies that do occur. The views of our contributors are their own and not necessarily those of THE HOBSON. We don’t favour unsolicited contributions but do welcome you getting in touch via editor@thehobson.co.nz to discuss ideas.

Distribution by

This publication uses vegetable based inks and environmentally responsible papers.

T

he more things change, the more they stay the same ... It's always exciting to see new retailers opening up where there's a dusty vacancy. This month, Remuera welcomes Maman, the venture of sisters launching a fashion business. (You can read all about them on page 12). They will add interest and buzz to the retail makeup of the area and that's good for everyone. What's not so good is when another retailer who brings vitality, and a great offering, decides to move on. Design Quarter is now shuttered in favour of trading online, and doing pop-up retail when it suits. The catalyst, says business owner Carrol, was a lease negotiation that stalled. The street will miss her. We cross our fingers that the next tenant in that pretty space isn't yet another office deciding they need street-level “prescence”. Hardly engaging to look at, are they.

We also quietly hope that when Ray White Remuera shifts down the road to where Browns is now, that they at least give us windows that add to the visual appeal of the precinct.

Still on the main street, congratulations to Poppies bookstore and Jems, winner and runner-up respectively in the best window competition, run as part of Remuera's “French in July” winter festival. We — Orākei Local Board chair Desley Simpson and I were the judges — also gave highly commended rosettes to Photo Remuera and Remuera Real Estate Register for their displays (the Remuera Register office also serves to demonstrate that you can do something creative, and visually engaging, with an office space).

Regular readers with an eye for these things might notice some changes on our pages. Art director Stephen Penny has updated our fonts and made some tweaks to the layout. We think it looks fresh but still looks like “us”, which is important too. As always, we'd be interested to know what you think. And finally, happy Father’s Day to all the dads, father figures, grandpas and koro. That's mine, above, with me some time ago. We love you, Chris Cameron.

Kirsty Cameron editor@thehobson.co.nz 0275 326 424

Warm congratulations to columnist Hamish Firth (The Plan) and wife Donna, who welcomed daughter number three in July. Baby Ana joins sisters Sofia, 6, and Mila, 3. This is it, he says.

Z

Fancy dinner out? The crew at Meadow, 20 St Johns Rd, are treating two readers to a meal from their new spring menu, to the value of $250 per winner. You can choose whether that's a long and leisurely lunch with a friend, a catch-up with family or datenight dinner. Meadow's farm-to-table menu sources fresh produce from the owner's Clevedon farm, and the kitchen takes pride in delivering excellent, seasonally-inspired food (the bar staff are top of their game too).

To win, email business@thehobson.co.nz with MEADOW in the subject line by 5pm, Friday September 11. Two winners will be selected at random.

the hobson 6

The Columnists

Left to right from top row: Sandy Burgham (The Second Act) is a brand strategist and an executive coach with a special interest in midlife change and transformational behaviours. She runs a central Auckland practice. www.sandyburgham.com Remuera resident Warren Couillault (The Investment) is CEO of Richmond Investment Management, a private investment advisory partnership. He is a shareholder in and director of Generate Investment Management Ltd; manager of a registered Kiwisaver scheme and an adviser to S.AG Private. www.richmond.co.nz Andrew Dickens (The Sound) is the host of Andrew Dickens’ Sunday Cafe on Sunday morning, from 9am, on Newstalk ZB. He is also the music reviewer on Jack Tame’s Saturday morning show on Newstalk ZB. He grew up in Remuera.

Hamish Firth (The Plan) lives and works in Parnell and is principal of the Mt Hobson Group, a specialist urban planning consultancy. mthobsonproperties.co.nz Urban design critic Tommy Honey (The Suburbanist) is a former architect, Remuera resident and Dean of College at Parnell’s Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design.

Dr Amrit Kaur (The Psyche) lives in Meadowbank and is a NZ-registered clinical psychologist specialising in helping children, families and young adults. She is part of the multidisciplinary KidzTherapy practice.

Caitlin McKenna (The Cinema) of Remuera is passionate about the cinema — she majored in film, sociology and marketing for her conjoint BCom/BA. Leigh Melville (The Arts) is director, art, at Auckland’s ART + OBJECT auction house. She lives in Parnell and is chair of the Patrons of the Venice Biennale. She's missing from this issue, but will be back next month.

Judi Paape (The Teacher) is a highly-experienced teacher and junior school principal. A Parnell resident, she writes on alternate months about children and education.

(Dr Amrit Kaur’s The Psyche column appears on the other months).

Lee Parore (The Wellbeing) is an expert in executive health. A qualified naturopath and a personal trainer to elite athletes and executives, his wellness clinic is in Newmarket. www.leeparorehealthlab.com Justine Williams (The Magpie) is an interiors stylist, writer and fashion editor. The Remuera resident was until recently the editor of Simply You and Simply You Living.

One of New Zealand’s leading lifestyle and beauty editors, Remuera’s Melissa Williams-King (The Pretty/ The Handsome) is a former editor of Fashion Quarterly.

Gail Woodward (The Bookmark) of Meadowbank is the senior book buyer for Paper Plus Newmarket.

She belongs to, and advises on selections for, a number of book clubs.

the hobson 8

Dr Paul JM Salmon BhB MBChB FRACP FACMS AFFILIATED SOUTHERN CROSS PROVIDER

the village

Town & Around RETIRING TO THE VALLEY One of New Zealand’s largest retirement village developers and operators has purchased 2.3 hectares of land in central Parnell for an undisclosed sum.

Estimates had placed the value of the formerly KiwiRail-owned Cheshire St land, sited in the Waipapa Valley adjacent to The Domain, at around $25 million.

“We plan to build one of Auckland’s premier retirement villages,” Summerset CEO Julian Cook told THE HOBSON. “The current shortage of retirement options in the Parnell area means that many people have no choice but to move away when they decide to move into a retirement village.”

A construction start date is to be set — resource consents are yet to be underway — but the village is expected to house more than 300 people.

“Once resource consent is secured we would look to build the village as quickly as possible,” says Cook. Architecturally, Cook says the “design and development will certainly consider and reflect Parnell’s own uniqueness, character and heritage”.

“We will spend a lot of time consulting . . . so that [the development] is absolutely right for the area and in keeping with its heritage.”

The site was home until recently of the Mainline Steam trust, which operated from mid-century diesel sheds and workshops now being demolished. It also has a tract of the Waipapa stream, which provided water to breweries in Auckland’s colonial past. “Planning will account for site ecology and the natural aspects of the site,” says Cook.“We’d love to see local people from Parnell and surrounding suburbs becoming residents,” he says, adding that at the group’s other Auckland sites, the majority of residents came from within a five-kilometre radius. “People want to stay close to their friends and families and to maintain their community networks.”

The purchase comes after another local acquisition by Summerset — a 127-year lease of “the Parsons’ Paddock”, 2.5ha of green space fronting St Johns Rd in Meadowbank. p

“There are people who are annoyed at us and we’re very sorry for the purchasers, but at the end of the day we can’t sell them at a loss.

“It’s not ideal, but this is the world we live in at the moment and it’s not easy,” he says, referring to rising costs of construction.

Knight says Fletcher Building has now been brought on to construct the village. “If we’re going to build it we may as well get the best in the business.”

He says Fletcher staff have walked the site, and the two companies are in the “early stages of engagement”.

Given the history of the development and public concern around its impacts, including traffic movements out to Orakei and Ngapipi roads, Orākei Local Board chair Desley Simpson has said the board will hold a public meeting once the building consents are granted. — Zac Fleming p

BRICKS AND MORTAR-BOARDS

. . . Meanwhile, speedbumps at Orakei Bay And in other local development news, the company now behind the proposed development at Orakei Bay Village says construction is still on track to start by the end of the year, despite a high percentage of off-the-plan purchasers having now pulled out.

Equinox Capital director Kerry Knight told THE HOBSON that almost all 64 agreements had been torn up, primarily because of soaring construction costs forcing final prices up.

Orakei Bay Village was first mooted around a decade ago, but has become something of a saga with change in developer, Environment Court action and a struggle to gain resource consents. The plans for the 4.6ha site include 500 apartments and 80 townhouses, 10,000m2 of retail space and 10,000m2 of commercial space in the complex, which will involve building over the railway station. Some of the land is owned by Auckland Council, with KiwiRail, Watercare, Auckland Transport and the Council-controlled organisation, Auckland Council Property, all determinants in the outcome.

“Selling at the original prices is no longer profitable,” Knight says.

The Hanna Block, designed by noted Auckland architect Daniel B. Patterson as a boarding facility. The clock tower has since been removed for safety, and will be incorporated into the new building.

Advanced plans by King’s School to demolish its Hanna Block in favour of a new building have met with resistance from a group led by a former school pupil. Old boy Rob Thomas, a member of the Waitematā Local Board, is urging the school’s trust board to consider options that will retain at least part of the 1937 red-brick building.

As reported in the July-August issue, the school’s board voted to demolish and replace the Hanna Block after a series of structural and building issues, including earthquake preparedness, spalled concrete and steel corrosion which had already necessitated the removal of its clock tower. With repairs estimated at $10 million, the board instead arrived at the decision to commission Warren and

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The Portland Rd side of the proposed new building. The latest plan, not available at the time of going to print, includes more brick detail.

Mahoney to design a 500m2 block better suited to modern — and future — education. The new project, called the Centennial Building, has a budget of $30 million, for which fundraising is underway.

For that amount of money, and in the space available, argues Rob Thomas, there’s scope to preserve aspects of the Hanna Block and still create excellent new classrooms. He has met with three of the trustees, and presented them with an 840-signature petition he and supporters organised via change.org and Facebook.

“We also presented them pages of comments in support of protecting this iconic block and the clock tower. The comments were from a wide variety of the community, from civic trusts across the country, engineers, a former acting principal. We've asked them to look at, and read, all the comments.”

Thomas understands the board was discussing the petition at its meeting on August 10.

“Within the building and fiscal envelope, we think there’s opportunity to protect this heritage building.

“We are working in good faith with the school to find a win-win solution. We have put a very strong case forward.”

Headmaster Tony Sissons accepts there are “fond and enduring memories” about the Hanna Block for many boys, teachers and families and says the decision was not taken lightly.

In a meeting with THE HOBSON, Sissons pointed out the work that has been done to the building until recently, which has included $271,000 on plugging leaks against rain and the removal of the clock tower when cracking was discovered.

Sissons says the board has considered all available options over the past three years. As well as fiscal responsibilty to spend the school’s resources wisely, “the responsibility of the board to make sure the school is safe is absolutely paramount. And as headmaster of the school, I make no apology for ensuring that this school is safe for the boys in its care.

“We are an educational organisation that is responsible for boys, and their futures. So in balance of all the factors — and that's what a board needs to do — when you weigh up all the information that's

available, you have to make the tough decisions. And this is a very hard decision.

“The board wouldn't have taken three years trying to look at how we save it, without investigating all the various options of what that looked like.”

Rob Thomas has requested that the trust board release the documents it commissioned leading up to the decision, including reports from Beca engineers and Salmond Reed architects. The request was turned down, with Sissons saying the board does not release any of its reports, and doing so would set a “dangerous precedent”.

Duncan Olde, president of the King’s School Old Boys’ Association, says the Old Boys' executive supports the new constuction. “We’ve had a number of briefings to get us to a position where we are supportive.”

The Association invited past pupils to hear about the project at its AGM in July. Of the 20 who took up the invitation to attend, “there were no questions” notes Olde after a “very open and transparent” session with the headmaster, and a representative from Beca.

“We are supportive of the project, but we recognise that there are some divergent views, and we wanted people to have the opportunity to get fully briefed,” says Olde.

Rob Thomas points to restorations of Auckland heritage buildings such as the Northern Steamship Company and the former Chief Post Office, as inspiration for what the school could do.

“The Hanna Block is the iconic part of the school. Its colour palette of cream and maroon dictated every other building built since. It’s heritage and history that continues to resonate. We don’t want to see it lost.

“We are working in partnership with the board for a win-win solution.”

King's 4.46ha property does include two older heritage buildings that are protected, the school's chapel and its 1860s Towers building, which was the original home on the site.

— Kirsty Cameron p

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the village

DEAR MAMAN Remuera sisters Emma Main and Kate Boyden have realised a longheld dream with the opening of Maman on Clonbern Rd, Remuera.

The boutique sits at the entrance of the refurbished Clonbern laneway and is handily adjacent to the Laneway bar for after-shopping refreshments, and vice versa.

The name was inspired by their late mother, Debra Dixon, with whom the girls often talked of opening a store. “She really taught us to follow our dreams,” says Kate.

“We were three peas in a pod.”

Debra, a well-known Remuera real estate agent, was part-owner Emma Main, left, and sister Kate Boyden, photographed by Olivia Hemus. of The Camomile Lawn boutique in Inset, the sisters with their mother, Debra, snapped by dad Rod. Benson Rd in the mid-1990s. She Portable signs (including sandwich boards) are allowed to be passed away two years ago, and the sisters decided that instead of slightly bigger, but they must now be placed slightly further away just talking about what could be possible, they should “go for it”. from the kerb. The amount of unobstructed footpath that must “Our mother loved leopard print, “ says Kate. “We have integrated remain usable also decreases slightly, meaning that where there this into our brand identity where the gold wedge print is the are narrow footpaths, businesses will still not be allowed to display deconstructed leopard print, and the wee star is mum.” portable signage without an exemption.

Kate, who was a photography producer in Sydney, and Emma, Likewise, businesses without road frontage are still not allowed who ran Fashion Week events in London, have picked brands for portable signage, to the annoyance of those in malls or upstairs.

Maman that reflect their own “modern classics” style. “Effortlessly However portable ladderboards are allowed for shared buildings, chic," says Kate of the aesthetic they’re aiming for. “Off-duty model” where businesses do not have ground floor or road frontage. adds Emma. “Really, we’re catering for women who want great style, Parnell Inc’s Cheryl Adamson admits while some changes are beautiful fabrics.” positive, the new bylaw remains restrictive and it is “completely As well as clothes and multiple styles of denim, Maman will unrealistic to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach for all of Auckland”. feature shoes, sunglasses, pieces for the home and original artworks.

“Regardless of the width of the walkway, you cannot compare a International brands on offer include Equipment, AG, American footpath in Parnell with one the same width in the middle of the Vintage, Celine eyewear, J-Brand and Meandher.

CBD adjacent to a transport hub, that sustains far more foot traffic,” Watching on with pride is their father, Rod Dixon. The Olympic she says. medallist (1500m, Munich 1970) and world champion long-distance Council says its main goal with the bylaw is to “ensure signage runner lives in California, but is close to his daughters. So do his girls does not compromise vehicular or pedestrian safety, and that groups, have the superior athletic genes, as well as the style heritage? individuals and businesses still have the opportunity to use public “Ha! I got the legs, but don’t know how to use them,” laughs Kate. spaces to promote their service, product, goods or event.”

“Emma is a very good runner though. She’s done half marathons Remuera Business Association’s Laura Carr says while the and marathons — in 2008 she and dad ran the New York Marathon ladderboard change is good, she was hoping the bylaw would go together. It was the 25th anniversary of when he won it, so it was very further to help businesses in her area that don’t have road frontage. special.” — Kirsty Cameron p “If you're down a mall or a driveway things are really tough at the moment,” she says.

Ms Carr says she applied for an exception on some footpaths ONE SIGN FITS ALL that are too narrow to accommodate signs but was denied. “They [Council] said it would set a precedent.”

On a recent walk down Parnell Rd, THE HOBSON counted 35 footpath She asked for the application to be reconsidered, but despite signs — some businesses had two — between Tilden St and Gibraltar continued attempts to get in contact, at the time of printing Council Cres. Now, Council has finalised its one-size-fits-all approach to was yet to reply to her. business signage, but a comparison of the new and existing bylaws “We need to work together to find the right solution to improve the has found cluttered pavements are not likely to change. streetscape and ambience without making it too hard on businesses.”

Currently signs in Auckland City are governed by a 61-page Other changes include restrictions on signage in ground-floor document that makes tedious distinctions between different types of shop windows. Depending on zoning, signs can only account for signage, and causes headaches for business owners. Similar-length as low as a quarter of the total window space. Brothels and other documents controlled the other six pre-amalgamation councils. commercial sexual services will be forced to shrink their signs to just Come October 1, signs across the supercity will be ruled by a new, 0.33 square metres in residential zones, and be unable to advertise 31-page document. But changes in this part of town will likely be anything except their name, street and phone number. Flashing minimal, and not lead to any noticable decrease in footpath clutter. the hobson 12

lights, sexualised shapes or images and such are banned.

Despite the changes, Auckland Council officers will not be actively patrolling areas to enforce the new bylaw says Max Wilde, Council manager of bylaws and compliance.

“Education rather than enforcement is our top priority. Instead of enforcing immediate action for compliance, our officers will be talking to businesses about what they will need to start doing to make their signs comply.”

Members of the public can submit complaints to Auckland Council if they believe signage is in breach of the new bylaw.

Exemptions can be applied for, but will only be granted if the signage is in substantial compliance bar a few clauses, or a requirement of the bylaw is unreasonable. There is a six-month grace period for compliance on portable signage. And the cost of failing to comply? A fine of up to $20,000. — Zac Fleming p

PLENTY OF BOTTLE A Remuera kitchen production line that made French dressing for Diocesan school fairs has been scaled up to create a new, nationwide business.

“Eddy’s French Dressing” is the creation of Edwina “Eddy” Laurence.

Initially made as a school fundraiser in 1989, the dressing’s popularity saw production increase as it became a pantry staple, and popular Christmas gift around the neighbourhood.

“People would find our number in the Dio school directory, and ring up asking for another jar of it,” says Eddy’s son, David.

Over the years, the Laurence’s Arney Rd kitchen became a hive of industry, with the children paid 2c a bottle to give the oil-andvinegar dressing a vigorous shaking before it was left on the porch for collection (money under the mat please, and the jars and bottles returned for recycling, thank you).

“It’s been an ongoing family discussion over the years about turning this into a business,” says David. The Laurence’s felt that local demand indicated that there was probably a wider market, but attempts to scale up had not always been successful: in an effort to mechanise the blending of the dressing, a paint shaker was adapted to hold six bottles. It was successful, until the day it hurled full bottles of dressing all over Eddy’s kitchen.

The catalyst to get serious came when David, 32, returned late last year from working in IT in London, and was considering several startup business ideas. His youngest sister, engineering graduate Kirsty, 24, had written a business plan for Eddy’s Dressing, and pitched it to their mother. That, along with encouragement from David’s twin Sarah (also an engineer), Joan, 29, a lawyer and foodie, and father, fund manager Geoffery, made the family decide to take the idea more seriously.

David researched commercial food production, a manufacturing kitchen was found — the preservative-free recipe has exactly the same ingredients Eddy’s always used — and the business was launched officially in April. In the short time since then, the dressing has been accepted into 30 retailers, including Farro, and the family is planning what to produce next (Eddy thinks a mustard).

the village

David runs the day to day, but the four siblings are shareholders, along with their mother, and family friend Annemarie Millar, who has helped Eddy in the kitchen over the years bottling Dio fair supplies, despite, Eddy smiles, being “a St Cuthbert’s old girl and mother”.

Along with the jokes about David’s “aging labour force,” there’s a lot of affection behind the business plan. David says the Laurence home has always been about great hospitality, and food and fun. “We want to build a brand that’s quite reflective of that.”

Eddy’s French Dressing is now available locally at the Victoria Ave Butcher, Romford’s Butchery (Bassett Rd), Gourmet Direct (Remuera Rd) and the Orakei Butcher (Coates Ave). p

BOOZE IN PARKS UPDATE The Parnell Community Committee has made a last ditch effort to retain a blanket nighttime ban on drinking alcohol in local parks.

Hundreds of liquor bans across Auckland, including some at popular local parks and beaches, are set to expire on October 31 as part of an extensive review of Auckland’s 1700-plus bans.

As we reported in the last issue, a “high level of alcohol-related crime or disorder” must now be proved to keep bans. Documents released by Auckland Council have proposed lapsing 53 of the 99 bans in the Waitematā Local Board area (which covers Parnell) and 132 of the 152 in the Orākei Local Board.

Luke Niue, chair of the Parnell Community Committee, submitted an application to the Waitematā Local Board to retain existing

ALASTAIR WRIGHT, BARRISTER AND SOLICITOR, MERGES WITH MACDONALD LEWIS LAW

Alastair Wright has merged his legal practice at 1/466 Parnell Road, Parnell, with MacDonald Lewis Law after being in sole practice for the last 20 years.

Alastair will continue to specialise in Family Law, Conveyancing and General Practice with an increasing focus on Elder Law. These skills will dovetail well with the services already provided by MacDonald Lewis Law, who specialise in Franchise & Licensing Law, Company and Commercial Law, Conveyancing and General Practice.

LEWIS

LAW

92 Parnell Road, Parnell Phone 09 307 3324.

bans. “It’s about stopping people using parks to consume excessive amounts of alcohol and being a nuisance at night-time,” says Niue.

Proposed lapses include the St Heliers town centre, Shore Rd Reserve East, Orākei Domain, Ayr Reserve, Gladstone Park and Point Resolution. A full list can be found on the Council website.

Twenty-four hour bans would remain in the Parnell, Newmarket, Remuera and Ellerslie town centres, as well as select parks and other areas where police data indicates that levels of alcohol-related crime supports the retention. — Zac Fleming p

HANDS UP FOR THE PARNELL TRUST The Parnell Community Trust is seeking new trustees to fill two vacancies on its trust board.

The not-for-profit Trust is a preferred supplier of community services to Auckland Council, running activities including two local childcare centres, after school and holiday programs for children, adult education services, and community activities from the Parnell Community Centre. It also operates the Parnell Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, behind its headquarters in the historic Jubilee building.

“We’re looking to have a full suite of knowledge, skills and experience on the board,” says chair David Vinsen. The present trustees offer a range of professional expertise — law, HR, accountancy, property, arts — as well as community connections. The trustees’ role is strictly governance, and the board is not involved with operational matters, leaving that to the senior management of the 80-odd full and part time employees.

¯ Local Board Orakei

I

t was no coincidence that I released a list of defibrillators located in every suburb of the Orākei ward to our residents and business associations, the same week as Auckland Council released the 2015/16 rates demands.

With the mayor and the majority of councillors allowing no cap on rates increases this year, and the ‘surprising’ transport levy being added to rates bills, Aucklanders are now facing a 9.9 per cent average rates demand for the 2015/16 year. This level of increase hasn’t been seen in Auckland for at least 10 years. On top of this, we have a 2.5 per cent increase in our water charges.

All this with a decline in core Council services too.

However, if you can put aside the chill from your rates bill, the Orākei Local Board has been working to achieve improvements to Remuera (noting it’s only one of our 10 suburbs in the ward).

You may have noticed some great upgrades in Remuera town centre, particularly to the Village Green entrance and the Clonbern service lane new look.

For those of you who are familiar with the service lane, which runs off Clonbern Rd, it was somewhat dingy and in desperate need of an upgrade. Following discussions with the Remuera Business Association, the board quite rightly decided

The current trustees are Vinsen, Wayne Adsett (deputy chair), Bill Sinclair (treasurer), Paul Smith, Kate Wiseman, Christiane Pracht, David Cosgrove, and Roger Cole-Baker, who will be retiring at the October AGM. Another trustee, former Newmarket Business Association head Ashley Church, stepped down when he took up a new role.

Trustees are appointed for a three-year term, with a maximum of three terms. Interested? Contact Parnell Community Trust CEO Lyn Fox for further information — lyn@parnell.org.nz p

that it could do with some colour.

Screens were used to change the view from the lane, and geometric shapes were painted on to the paving, creating a better vibrant space. I recently visited Laneway, the new bar beneath the Remuera Local Café Bistro. This has certainly helped brighten up the area immensely. The upgraded lane has also attracted a new boutique, Maman, so there’s even more reason to go down and see the improvements.

The entrance to the Village Green from Remuera Rd has also been enhanced, with “The Village Green” etched into one of the slabs. This sets the entrance apart from the rest of the paving on Remuera Rd. The board was also proud to support the Remuera Business Association’s Bastille Day Street Festival again this year. It was well attended with many wearing berets and ‘French attire’ — even the wet weather couldn’t dampen spirits. I had a challenging but fun time judging the shop window display competition with our dynamic editor of THE HOBSON, Kirsty Cameron. Congratulations to Poppies Books for taking first place with a display that included a papier-mâché Eiffel Tower made by school children. Jems of Remuera’s extensive use of French bunting made it the second-place winner, while honourable mentions went to Remuera Real Estate Register and Photo Remuera for their efforts. Trés bien, everyone!

Fortunately the wet weather hasn’t slowed down work at Shore Rd Reserve. The sports field upgrades are on track to be completed on time, with fields due to reopen in early January.

Grass seed is growing well on the two sand-carpeted fields and the third soil-based field has a reasonable cover but may need reseeding in spring. It is great news that the second artificial cricket wicket has been given planning consent and will be installed shortly ready for play this summer. Bring on the good weather. — Desley Simpson, chair, Orākei Local Board

in a fellow local good guy, Luke Niue, that they believe they’ve been “lucky” in life, and are happy to be able to give back to the neighourhood. p

STANDING UP FOR SITTING DOWN THE HOBSON applauds the local citizen who took it upon themself to provide bus seating in Canterbury Pl, Parnell. We understand the local, who wishes to remain anonymous, commissioned, paid for and installed the tractor-style seating (pictured) for all to enjoy.

Further proving their community-mindedness, the installer has also provided cloths to wipe down the seats after rain. They did confide the hobson 15

waitemata¯ Local Board

Jewellery repairs and remodelling Watch repairs Free quotes on all work All work done on premise Friendly courteous service Fast turnaround www.zlato.co.nz / 09 307 0339 125 Parnell Rd, Parnell Mon-Fri 10am - 5pm / Sat 10am - 2pm

Creating Child Friendly Cities Waitematā Local Board is the first local board in Auckland to sign up to the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities initiative.

This celebrated framework helps guide collaborative work so that child rights are adhered to, and their voices heard.

Claire Stewart, our Community Development Facilitator, works closely with children and youth in our area. Claire’s work includes helping our business partners connect with the younger members of the community, and ensuring that they are considered key stakeholders and that their involvement is not simply tokenism. A great example of how this works is the involvement of Parnell District School in the public consultation of the Draft Newmarket Laneways Plan.

Team KM (Kids Matter), a group of seven students from Parnell School, reviewed the draft Newmarket Laneways Plan and rewrote the feedback form so that it was more accessible for children. They then distributed the form to schools in the Newmarket/Parnell area, and collated a report from the almost 200 submissions they received.

Another way that we ensure youth are involved in our decision-making can be seen in the design review of Freyberg Square. In conjunction with Massey University and the Auckland Design Office, Council held focus groups throughout the year with children ranging in age from 7 – 13 years, including a child with physical disabilities. The children were invited to explore the Square, and provide feedback about what they did and didn’t like, to help inform the design.

Because children and youth often don’t see the same advertising messages, or read the same publications as the general public, extra efforts are required to guarantee that they are aware of the issues and know how they can provide input. We strongly believe that it is worth the effort, and that our decisions are better guided for improving Waitematā in the long run. For more information about this initiative, visit www.unicef.org.nz/learn/our-work-innew-zealand/child-friendly-cities Festival Italiano, Newmarket The Festival Italiano begins again this month (13 September – 17 October). The street party is on Sunday 27 September from 11am to 4pm, on Osborne and Kent streets. We are very proud to sponsor this event, so hope to see you there.

— Shale Chambers, chair, Waitematā Local Board Above: Parnell's "Team Kids Matter" members Edward Nelson and Lucy Woodhams with Shale Chambers

the suburbanist

A New Flag

T

he roadshow is over, the submissions in and the dust is settling on an – at times – diffident and halfhearted debate. Dubbed alternatively overdue and a distraction, we can’t agree if we even want to decide. But, like the referee that never reversed a decision, we are past the point of no return; the designs are in, the long list out, the referenda will happen. Game on.

On a cool and wet Tuesday evening, I attended one of the much-vaunted flag meetings at the top of the Museum. Along with 20 or so others, I heard a presentation from Julie Christie and Stephen Jones, members of the Flag Panel. Then, at our tables, we engaged in a semi-structured discussion about the flag and what it meant to us. I had expected a diverse range of views; what I hadn’t expected was the amount of tolerance and acceptance of those views. I came away enlightened and almost, swayed (as can happen atop a fence, the winds of change blowing gently at your back).

Much has been said – or is that brayed – by the naysayers, who claim the small numbers at the flag meetings was evidence that nobody wants this. Or perhaps it is evidence that nobody goes to town meetings anymore (when was the last time you went to one? About anything?).

I went because I was curious. I knew what I thought; I knew what my friends thought. What I didn’t know (and wanted to) was what other people thought. I’d given up reading the comments sections of online media – not helpful at all. The flag meeting gave me the chance to sit awhile with complete strangers and talk about deep and profound ideas of cultural identity and who we are. Don’t get that on the bus.

My interest in the flag is as much about design as it is about our cultural expression of ourselves. Why, I wonder, is the Southern Cross the most used symbol in the more than 10,000 submitted designs? It is seen everywhere in the southern hemisphere, and if it says anything, it is that we are not of the north. True, we have spent hundreds of years defining ourselves as not something else; but shouldn’t we instead start representing who we are?

I’m equally cautious about using strips of green and blue because of our verdant landscape and cloudless sky; as if no other nation can grow grass or ever looks up. And surely, the long white cloud obscures the blue? I don’t mind being called a Kiwi, here or when I travel, as, to me, it refers to a type of person, derived from the bird. I feel a sense of community with people, not fauna. So I am unexcited about seeing a bird on the flag. It would be as if we struggled with the flag but at least we got the patch right for our backpacks when we go on our OE. Similarly the fern already has an important place on a sports uniform, and another, on a block of butter. But on the flag it seems too obvious – as if we borrowed it from elsewhere in our cultural lexicon of imagery, because we wanted to avoid any possible confusion.

I am not interested in the lowest common denominator approach that gives us the tried and true, and is all things to all people. I am more excited that one of our excellent designers might offer us an abstraction that gives us a new way of expressing ourselves that is uniquely, particularly and incontrovertibly, about us. Now for that, I would climb down off the fence. — Tommy Honey

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the reps

PAUL GOLDSMITH

DAVID SEYMOUR

E

ducation is the number one activity in the Epsom electorate suburbs of Epsom, Mt Eden, Parnell and Remuera. There are 30 schools, including some of the country’s largest, a university campus opening in Newmarket and two universities just across Grafton Bridge. One result of this educational focus is that we are a much younger group than the press likes to describe. It also explains why we focus on school zones. For some, accessing a good school is the major reason, or whole point, of residing here. For all, it is an investment to afford a house in zone. Unfortunately, this policy is facing a head-on collision with Auckland Council’s desire to squeeze more and more dwellings into the area.

Having been soundly rebuked by area residents in 2013, Council has recently returned for another bite at relaxing density restrictions. It proposes to allow more dwellings on any given property, and the ability to remove pre-1944 houses to clear space for intensification.

These proposed changes will only add to intensification currently underway. These include 84 new apartments at Lion Place (Newmarket), 231 at Alexandra Park, and a reported proposal to put 500 more apartments into Newmarket. Not to mention the Council’s ambitious plans to make commercial land surrounding Mt Eden rail station into residential.

All of those addresses are “in zone” and could theoretically add over a thousand students to local schools. As this process continues, school boards will inevitably face hard choices. To a point, they can intensify themselves, as Auckland Grammar has done with its splendid (and largely community funded) new classroom block. However as they reach limits of space, and what is manageable, they face harder choices.

They might ‘pull the ropes in’ and shrink their zones, something that affected residents and understandably oppose.

Alternatively the government might decide to introduce a new school, and rezone much of the area, as proposed a decade ago to similarly vociferous opposition. Ironically, that school would have been located at Alexandra Park.

However, there is a perversity in that much of the intensification is motivated by the school zones they threaten to destroy. Being in zone adds value to the developments, and it follows that some, if not many, are made viable by it.

How to defuse this time bomb? I expect that central government will have to act. It must stop encouraging the Council to intensify with its support of the rail link. But it should also consider amending the Education Act such that new apartment developments built to take advantage of the zones are nominally not in zone. A milder option would be to simply require longer residency prior to qualify for school access, but it would be a more complex one.

I would like to hear your feedback on this issue.

David Seymour is the MP for Epsom. davidseymour. epsom@parliament.govt.nz

A

s readers of THE HOBSON will be well aware, Auckland is growing fast. That’s because we live in a desirable and dynamic city. While Auckland’s success is something to celebrate, growth does create challenges and it requires considerable investment to manage that growth.

During the past parliamentary recess I’ve been visiting a number of schools in the Epsom electorate, to check on how they are going and to gather feedback on what the school communities are talking about and what they’re worried about. Most of them have expanding rolls and are doing well.

I had the pleasure of joining my colleague, the Hon Nikki Kaye, Associate Minister of Education, to open four new excellent classrooms for Mt Eden Normal School. The new $1.4 million four-classroom block raises the school’s roll capacity from 692 to 799.

The new classrooms, which are lovely and warm, will provide better, more modern learning spaces for more students. They will also provide more innovative and flexible teaching spaces.

But, of course, it was the 600-odd kids lined up on the school playground that was the memorable thing for me at the opening. Just like my generation, they were smart and enthusiastic. They were probably better behaved than we were. And they were certainly more ethnically diverse.

The thing that made me feel best was to see the unbridled optimism among those faces, and even better to know that optimism is fully justified.

Also in our neighbourhood, the government has recently announced new classrooms for Remuera Primary School, Newmarket Primary School and Orakei School.

On the question of growth, one of the things I’m often asked is why the government doesn’t encourage some of Auckland’s many immigrants to settle in some of the many other parts of New Zealand which battle with population decline. So I was pleased that the Prime Minister recently announced changes to our immigration settings along those lines.

Under the changes, points awarded for skilled migrants with a job outside Auckland will be boosted from 10 points to 30 of the 100 they need to get residency. They will also now need to commit to a region for a year rather than the current three months.

Entrepreneurs setting up businesses outside Auckland will also double their points from 20 to 40 of the 120 points they need for residency, under the changes. The changes will spread the benefit of migration across the country as part of National’s commitment to building a more competitive and productive economy.

Paul Goldsmith is a list MP based in Epsom and Minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs

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the plan

A Spoonful of Sugar

B

y now we have received our new rates bill, and seen them rise by around $500 per year. In the main, we shrug our shoulders, but in the back of our minds we don’t think we are getting value for money. Sure the libraries and parks and roads are there, and the rubbish gets picked up, but there is that nagging feeling that the rates increase much faster than the level of service received.

For a little perspective on the increase and the quantum, we have property-owning clients up and down the country. In the Far North, the relative rates are 20 to 30 per cent higher than in Auckland. In Christchurch, a $1m property will have rates that are around 30 to 40 per cent higher than the equivalent to those in Auckland. While this does not make the feeling that we are not getting value for money any better, we can be grateful for the economies of scale the supercity has, versus somewhere like the Far North District Council with a small rating base, having to fund similar services over a very large land area.

So we then turn to value, or bang for our buck. Sometimes, it feels that THE HOBSON’s area is indeed an ATM for the rest of Auckland (as noted by the Orākei Local Board chair, Desley Simpson). Rates are calculated on a property’s capital value, and rise as the value rises.

However, levels of service are relatively the same over the whole Auckland region. In Mangere, a three-bedroom home may have rates of $2500 per year, and the same type of house in say, Remuera, pays $4000. In short, more rates are collected than spent in this area. We accept this system because it is what it is, but we feel we should get something back to compensate for the amount we all pay.

So I was pleased that after 10 years of neglect, Council had let a contract to “upgrade” a walkway in a bush-clad park near where we live. The so-called “upgrade” is nearly complete and it was a piecemeal job at best, with a 50m section given a layer of metal so thin, Kim Kardashian would not have worn it as a dress for fear of complete exposure.

And so continues the feeling that rates rise every year, in direct disproportion to the level of service received. I have no answers,

except that if Council are going to do something in the local area as sugar for the pain, at least do it to as high a standard as it was constructed — or do not bother.

Bloody Red Tape – the never ending saga Long have I pondered the problem that is housing and rising prices in Auckland. A basic conclusion is that demand is far higher than supply.

The government and Auckland Council are trying to right the problem by constructing a new paradigm with the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP).

We have an enabling legal framework, being the Resource Management Act. We will have a District Plan that is more accommodating, but this will not be enough to speed up the process.

What will slow everything down is the gatekeepers — read planners — who decide what they like or don’t like based on their own subjective experience (or lack of it).

To be fair there are some very good planners at Council. They are an asset to the region, and to the economic benefit of the country.

However these outstanding bureaucrats only show up those that have made a career out of creating misery, delay and opinion-based results.

In the July-August issue, I wrote about the battle to get an approval on Ponsonby Rd for a three-level building. Having now walked through the building, which contributes familiarity to a sensitive area, I am still shaking my head at how a planner initially decided that because they did not like it, the proposal should be declined. The original owner, who finally achieved the consent, sold the property at a loss due to cost and time delays. Thankfully the new owner boxed on and gave life to the vacant section.

If a planner doesn’t want to embrace the enabling nature of both the RMA and the PAUP, I would suggest they consider a career change. Becoming a personal trainer may be a better option — at least then people are happy to pay to be tortured. — Hamish Firth

the hobson 20

the investment

The Importance of Investing Offshore

I

have just returned from a family trip to Europe, which I must say was extremely enjoyable. Apart from missing what by all accounts sounds like a rather horrible patch of weather here, we loved hearing, and trying to speak, French and Italian, eating different food (which was markedly cheaper than what it costs here) and cruising with ease at 135km/h on fantastic motorways.

I of course have lots of observations that I'd like to share regarding how much more or less things cost, and how much better or worse things “work” than they do there and in New Zealand. But I will save these for another time, notwithstanding that even with the New Zealand dollar buying just 43 British pence, something must be awry here in NZ when the groceries generally cost less in London.

Spending pounds and euros, and the inevitable converting of purchase prices back to NZ dollars, did get me thinking about currencies, and in particular recent movements in the NZ dollar and the importance of investing outside of NZ. Textbook portfolio recommendations have an (investment) allocation across standard asset classes termed domestic equities and fixed interest, offshore equities and fixed interest, real estate and sometimes “other”, which can include direct and alternative assets (eg hedge funds).

I wholeheartedly agree, and am a firm believer, that a portion of your investment or savings portfolio should be invested out of New Zealand. Invested safely of course.

The key advantages of having some offshore investments are primarily to source returns that cannot be found in your domestic investments, be they fixed interest or equities or real estate.

Essentially there are different drivers of investment returns from industries and businesses outside of New Zealand, e.g. the iron-ore price is a significant influence of profits in the

Australian mining/resource sector, but has negligible direct bearing on anything here in NZ. With the correct means of investment offshore you can enhance and improve your portfolio returns.

Another important reason for investing offshore is to reduce your risk within your portfolios to that which is happening in NZ and the NZ dollar. There is a wider investment choice in offshore markets, be they direct securities or managed funds.

My preference is to use good offshore funds because of the diversification they bring.

Of considerable importance, I think, is to make an allocation offshore and stick with it over time, of course tweaking at the margin as necessary. The reason for this is that currency movements are typically big, unpredictable and usually difficult to time with any degree of precision. So if you try to tactically adjust your portfolio based on near term currency predictions, you may get your timing wrong and be on the wrong side of a move.

The recent decline of the NZ dollar shows why this strategy of sticking with the allocation is important. The NZ dollar has fallen 24 per cent against the US dollar in the past 12 months, with about 50 per cent of the decline occurring in the three months since April. By any reckoning that movement is big and fast. (Rockstar economy?).

Those with US dollar-denominated investments would have been a bit grumpy over the past few years, as the rising Kiwi offset the US market gains, but maintaining the allocation would have been greatly rewarded by picking up a 24 per cent gain in NZ dollar terms from the currency movement alone.

So clearly I think it's a good idea to have some of your savings or investments appropriately invested offshore. Over time, that should prove to enhance your investment return for your portfolio. — Warren Couillault

Come along to our

Taster Days

Your daughter can spend a day with us and get a taste of life at Saint Kentigern.

Years 0-3 - Tuesday 25th August Years 4-6 - Thursday 10th September

BR-j8888

Saint Kentigern

Please phone and register to attend 09 520 7696 Visit - www.saintkentigern.com the hobson 21

the district diary - september

monday tuesday wednesday thursday

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Railway Street Studios Artists' group show, "Manifest," now open, to September 8. 8 Railway St, Newmarket www. railwaystreetstudios.co.nz

EGGS Old Girls Association Scriptor Series presents Diane Foreman launching her book, In The Arena, 6.30pm, Raye Freedman Arts Centre. Tickets $20 via iticket.co.nz

INZONE Fundraising Auction 6pm, Eden Park. INZONE allows promising out-of-town students to attend Grammar and EGGS. With performances by students, and attendance by the PM. Tickets $100, via raise@ inzoneeducation.org.nz

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Preschooler Storytime Stories and songs for 3 to 5-year-olds.

Every Monday during term-time from 11 to 11.30am at Parnell Library

Book Group at Remuera Library 11am

Rhymetime Songs, stories and of course, rhymes, for the 18-month to 3-years set, every Wednesday during term-time. 11 - 11.30am, Parnell Library

Book Group at Parnell Libary 10am

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Newmarket's "Festival Italiano" now on, to October 17.

Wriggle & Rhyme Active movement for babies to 2-yearolds, 9.30 - 10am every Tuesday in term-time, Parnell Library

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Book Group at Remuera Library 11am

King's School middle and senior school swimming sports

Parnell Heritage AGM & Journal Launch with guest speaker Christopher Parr, grandson of Auckland mayor C J Parr (1911-14). 7pm, Quality Hotel, Gladstone Rd Teen Book Club at Remuera Library 4 - 5.30pm

Verdi's Otello presented by the Auckland Opera Forum.

7.30pm at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre, Gillies Ave. For pricing and info, visit aucklandoperaforum.org.nz

King's College Campus Tour 9.30am, for information please call 0508 46 25 46

King's School prep and junior school swimming sports

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29 100 War Memorials Hear Helen Vail talk about her national project commemorating WWI. 6.30pm, Remuera Libary. RSVP: events@remueraheritage.org.nz Public meeting on planning for community facilities in Remuera shopping centre, hosted by Remuera Residents Association.

7.30pm, St Paul's Church hall, St Vincent Ave

Got an entry for The District Diary?

Community groups, schools, special events, birthdays and anniversaries too if we have room! Email details to hobsondiary@gmail.com

the hobson 22

friday

saturday sunday

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THE HOBSON October issue booking deadline today!

Parnell Farmers’ Market Every Saturday from 8am, Jubilee Building, 545 Parnell Rd, Parnell

La Cigale French Market Saturday and Sunday mornings, 69 St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell

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notes

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Grammar Senior exams, to Sept 25

DIO 20 HOUSE TOUR

Tickets on sale now $70* at

HOUSES FOR CAUSES

King's School Jazz Band at the Cathedral performing for KidsCan, 7pm.

*excluding booking fee

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Last Day of Term 3 School's out until October 12

Clean up the Waipapa Stream Parnell, 10am to midday.

Register to attend via kay@ parnellheritage.org.nz

Kinder House Exhibitions: Kinder and tangata whenua links, plus photos highlighting Gothic Revival architecture. To October 20

THE HOBSON October issue delivers to homes this weekend!

Newmarket Street Fair, Osborne & Kent streets, from 11am

ANOTHER CHAPTER IN PARNELL’S HISTORY Local author and historian Carolyn Cameron's third book about Parnell launches this month. Parnell: St Georges Bay & Judges Bay focuses on what were waterfront properties between 1841 and 1859 — none of the houses or businesses featured stand today. The book includes images never previously published, stories about local Māori and information about many of the early burials in St Stephen’s churchyard. A regular contributor to the Parnell Heritage Journal, Cameron has also written Mechanics Bay: The First Twenty Years of European Settlement and Parnell: A Choice Villa Site. All are $25 each, available from Paper Plus Parnell, and the White Heron Dairy, Gladstone Rd. THE HOBSON has a copy of Parnell: St Georges Bay & Judges Bay to give away, courtesy of Carolyn Cameron. To win, please email business@thehobson.co.nz by 5pm, Friday September 18, with HISTORY in the subject line. Please include your mailing address. One winner’s name will be selected at random.

the hobson 23

Simply Matching Pe

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the hobson suggests

Care in Our Community Within the tree-lined cul-de-sacs of Broadway Park sits Remuera Rise, a well-known complex of retirement apartments.

Less known is that within the same address is Remuera Rise’s Residential Care Facility, a boutique hospital level care unit.

THE HOBSON spoke to Clinical Manager, Registered Nurse Mellanie Lendrum (pictured), about what is offered.

Mellanie, firstly can you tell us — what is hospital level care?

Hospital level care is for people who require long term care because of a disability or illness. Long term hospital level care is different to the care that you might receive while you are in a public hospital.

Why is the Care Facility at Remuera Rise different?

They say that good things come in small packages, and I absolutely believe this to be true at Remuera Rise! With only 12 beds, we are boutique. Our residents are provided with choice about their routines. We also recognise that our residents often come to us after a life-changing event such as a new diagnosis, a chronic illness or even an accident. Moving to residential care can be an extremely stressful time for both the person coming to us, and their families. It is our job to support everyone during this time so that the transition is as smooth as possible.

Personalised care would have enormous appeal. What type of things can you do to make it individual?

Each person is different, and their preferences are unique. The resident does not need to fit into our routines. Instead we try to fit with theirs! Personalised care is part of our culture here at Remuera Rise. The staff work closely with our residents and their families to try and keep their routines as close to “normal” as possible.

Can you tell us a little about the care staff?

Our staff become part of our resident’s lives, and there is a therapeutic relationship built on trust and respect. There is always fun and laughter.

Anything to do with hospitals, and meals generally pop up as a topic. What does Remuera Rise offer?

Oh yes, meals should always be something to look forward to. Our menu is more restaurant-style, than the historic institutionalised style of cooking. We have an onsite chef who works hard to prepare scrumptious meals. We cater to

all dietary requirements too. Our residents give us regular feedback on our meals. If something is not working they let us know, and we fix it!

Staying in touch with family is important too. How does this work?

Keeping in touch with friends and family is encouraged. The families of our residents can be involved as they like with the care of their loved one. If it is important for a family member to help with feeding or dressing their loved one, we can support this. However there is no pressure. All of our families receive a unique security code which allows them access to the Care Facility. We do not have visiting hours, so our families can come and go as they like.

The large rooms with their en suites sound glamorous, but do the residents get out and about?

Absolutely! We try to keep our residents busy. Fi Rubie is our Activities Co-ordinator. She organises a van outing each week to a different destination, and takes hot drinks and morning tea with her. They always take photos of where they have been, and bring these back to show me. Winter is not a barrier — we have fluffy blankets and ponchos for the residents to keep warm! One of them told me that he has seen more of Auckland since he has been here than he saw in his previous 70 years!

It definitely sounds gold standard. What can you tell us about the cost?

Gold standard care is what we strive for. There may be government subsidies available for people who are eligible. I am happy to discuss daily rates.

If readers of THE HOBSON are interested, what is the best way to find out more?

Please call me at Remuera Rise 09 522-7392 to have a chat.

And remember too, the Care Facilty is available to the general public and residents of Remuera Rise apartments alike.

“It’s hospital level care but it feels like being in a boutique hotel”

R O O M S AVA I L A B L E F O R N O N - A PA RTM E N T O W N E R S I N O U R B O UTI Q U E H O S P I TA L L EVE L C A R E FAC I L I T Y If you’re looking for bespoke hospital care, Remuera Rise offers the gold standard. Rooms are modern, spacious and luxurious with en suites. You’ll receive 24/7 nursing care, but that doesn't mean you have to give up your independence. You can start your day, eat, bathe, and retire when you want. You’re in charge.

Visit www.remuerarise.co.nz to find out more from Mellanie, our Clinical Manager or call 0800 00 15 85.

30 JAMES

COOK CRESCE NT, BROADWAY PARK, R EMU ERA .

Remuera Rise is registered under the Retirement Villages Act 2003. Registration number 2557887

the handsome

the

Groomed Man

Melissa Williams-King suggests a gentleman’s regimen for Father’s Day

Le Monde specialise in homewares but also have a stylish range of personal gifts for men, including the Men’s Manicure Set, $50, Buff & Shine Shoe Kit $40, and Travel Bag, $80.

Le Monde, St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell Get dad’s skincare needs sorted with the Clarins Men Father’s Day Set, $70. It contains face wash, moisturiser, shave gel and shampoo/body wash. Life Pharmacy Remuera

This subtle mix of spicy cardamom and ginger with woody notes is sure to please a down-to-earth dad. Givenchy Gentlemen Only Casual Chic, from $99. Life Pharmacy 277

Now the guys have their own version of the detangler women swear by. The new Tangle Teezer Compact Men’s Groomer, $34, can groom facial hair too! Shampoo 'N Things, Newmarket Apothecary D.R.Harris was founded in London in 1790 and is still in business, with royal warrants for the Queen and the Prince of Wales.

Buy shaving supplies in Auckland for your handsome prince at Crane Brothers, High St. D.R.Harris Shaving Bowl, $65

Is dad stuck in an ’80s aftershave rut? Gently ease him out with this new twist on the classic of that era. Yves Saint Laurent Kouros Silver, from $109, updates the signature scent with green apple, woody amber and crisp sage. Farmers, Newmarket

For dads after a do-it-all skincare product, we suggest Lab Series Pro LS All-In-One Face Treatment, $59. It soothes shaving irritation, moisturises, targets fine lines and leaves a matte finish. From Smith & Caughey’s Newmarket

Baxter of California has pioneered a cult range of quality, no-nonsense male grooming products since 1965. Now the products are available in New Zealand, at Barkers' menswear stores. Baxter, products from $19.99. Barkers, 277 Newmarket

Hair looks more polished with a dab of styling product.

Ditch the sticky gels and upgrade your father to Wella System Professionals Men Textured Style, $36. Stephen Marr, Newmarket

Inspired by the midnight sky, Narciso Rodriguez For Him Bleu Noir eau de toilette, from $110, blends fresh green notes with spicy cardamom and nutmeg. Smith & Caughey’s Newmarket

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Giorgio Armani Eau de Nuit Pour Homme, $128, was Armani’s first fragrance for men, launched in 1984. Now there’s a darker, richer twist with notes of cedar and spice.

Smith & Caughey’s Newmarket

This high-tech new gadget combines the convenience of a rotary shave with the closeness of a foil. It also has worldwide voltage, and the option of a 120-minute full charge or fiveminute quick charge. Remington SmartEdge Advanced Foil Shaver, $349.99 at Farmers, Newmarket

the wellbeing the hobson suggests

Our Body’s Onboard Operating System

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s humans, we have carved out an ecological niche through the biological evolution of our brain’s neocortex. With the rise of our creative mind came the expansion of our consciousness, free will and identity that led us to inventions such as the arts, sciences and languages.

The body evolved over thousands of years on a blueprint of biological software that has provided us our intellectual edge. Fundamentally, the body is “information technology”.

Even food is information that is telling your body what to do, just as your thoughts are information that creates your brain’s technology, as is your genome that responds to environmental signals.

When it comes to your body, its function is determined by its structure — the molecular and cellular structure — making it essential to provide the raw material. The raw material is electrical energy — the body is a network-based organism that is energised by the central and autonomic nervous system.

It’s akin to a living computer system, having its own power supply, memory, feelings and the ability to interpret and transmit coherent information.

Our DNA represents our entire genetic blueprint, the core reactor from where we are broadcasting our personal energy signature. Light controls much of our biology, much like a GPS device does in your cell phone.

The cell membranes operate as an information processor — the intelligence centre of the cell receives signals, and writes the DNA code. It functions as a liquid crystal semi-conductor, with gates and channels akin to a computer chip, whereby the membrane “reads” the environment and adjusts the biology. The nucleus of the cell, with its genes, represents a hard disk, and the genes are read/write programs. The cell is a programmable device that reads and adjusts the expression of the genes in response to environmental information.

Inside your biology on the outer surface of your cells are antennas, self-receptors that download information frequencies from the environmental field, making identity not localised within the body, but as a part of the entangled energetic/intelligent mystery that science is trying to solve.

The key is to keep your body healthy so that your body’s technology can function and operate as per design. Poor health is akin to having a host of computer viruses that are causing glitches in the energetic circuitry/network of the human system. For peak performance, one must respect the role both the energetic side and the physical side of the body play to know true health.

The environment we live in is the internet of information that is either nourishing you or taking energy from you.

Adaptation is key, so you can reprogram your biology through life’s chemistry to rewire/rewrite your personal blueprint for potent health.

Getting your labs/blood work done and examining the way you live life is the first step. Labs provide the information contained in the biological software as to how the body’s technology is operating in the environment of life.

It’s crucial to eliminating the underlying biological causes of disease and dysfunction. Best to claim back your health that will empower you to empower your life. — Lee Parore

Lean Machines Listen up gentlemen – there’s a new, high-tech way to get your body ready for boardshorts this summer Many men are familiar with stubborn abdominal fat that just won’t budge, no matter how much you control your diet and hit the gym. This type of fat can not only make you look older and less fit, it’s not good for your overall health.

But now there’s a new, high-tech, clinically proven way to spot-treat a belly — or back fat — that diet and exercise won’t shift: CoolSculpting. This revolutionary, non-invasive method of fat removal involves no needles, no anaesthetic, no knives and no downtime.

CoolSculpting is the discovery of doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, a teaching affiliate of Harvard University. They found that subcutaneous fat cells are vulnerable to the effects of cold, and can be effectively targeted and then removed from the body via its own waste processes. Their technique (cryolipolysis) is both TGA and FDA-approved, and more than two million treatments have been performed globally. The doctors and nurses at Prescription Skin Care are the most experienced CoolSculpting operators in NZ, having performed hundreds of treatments on both men and women.

How does it work?

CoolSculpting targets localised fat bulges by holding them between two cooling pressure panels. During the treatment you can relax in comfort in a private room, read, watch a movie or catch up on emails. Afterwards, you can return back to your routine, with no special garments required.

How fast are the results?

You can expect to see results from three weeks to three months, with a sculpted mid-section where CoolSculpting has been performed. Because fat is not heavy, most patients lose centimetres, rather than losing weight on the scales.

CoolSculpting packages are tailored to individual requirements, and costs vary depending on the number of areas needing treatment. To see clinical results of this amazing, safe and effective treatment, visit www. prescriptionskincare.co.nz/coolsculpting Prescription Skin Care is offering readers of THE HOBSON a free 45-minute consultation in the month of September to see if CoolSculpting is right for you. Quote “THE HOBSON ” when booking your consultation.

Prescription Skin Care offers a clinical, private environment with highly trained doctors and nurses, with discreet offstreet parking.

Led by Plastic Surgeon Stephen Gilbert FRCS, FRACS (plastic).243 Remuera Road, Remuera. Ph 529 5784. www.prescriptionskincare.co.nz

SSC_print ad 180X130mm_new.pdf

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9/07/15

5:23 pm

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Friday 2 October, 7.30pm Free pre-concert talk 6.45pm Sunday 4 October, 5pm Free pre-concert talk 4.15pm

Concert Chamber | Auckland Town Hall Buy tickets: ticketmaster.co.nz | 0800 111 999 Adult tickets from $35 (Booking fees apply. Child/Student tickets available.)

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Friday 23 October, 7.30pm Concert Chamber Auckland Town Hall Free pre-concert talk 6.45pm

Buy tickets: ticketmaster.co.nz | 0800 111 999 Adult tickets from $40 (Booking fees apply. Child/Student tickets available.)

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the hobson suggests

The Orthodontic Conundrum An informed consumer — and parent — Kerry Dunphy weighs up the debate around orthodontic treatment options for your child

I

t goes without saying that we want the best for our children, and will give them every opportunity possible for them to succeed and excel in life. As the mum of three boys, aged between eight and 12, one of the things I am bestowing on my children is the life-long gift of straight teeth, courtesy of orthodontic treatment. It is a gift my parents kindly gave me, and even after 30 years, I am still grateful for their foresight.

My choice of how to proceed with my oldest should have been easy, given my management role at Lumino The Dentists, but even I was confused. In our group, we have specialist orthodontists, general dentists who exclusively practise orthodontics, another handful who offer ‘invisible braces’, and an emerging group of dentists who are learning about new orthodontic systems that claim to straighten teeth quickly.

I now feel I can speak to the confusion that many parents feel about the conflicting advice they have been given. I’d like to address some common misconceptions about orthodontics: Myth #1: It’s best to start your child on orthodontics by the age of nine.

There seems to be a growing trend of nine and 10-year-olds starting orthodontic treatment, usually with a ‘plate’ or retainer. This trend is probably exacerbated by a combination of overzealous but well-meaning parents, and some orthodontic practices encouraging parents to start treatment early. “In most cases, you’re better off waiting until all the permanent teeth have come in first before treatment is started,” says one of our specialist orthodontists.

“Our position is to get them checked by the age of nine or 10 if you have concerns, but 90 per cent of these children do not need treatment to start until they are approximately 12”.

auleena/shutterstock.com

Myth #2: Using a lower plate will help lengthen your child’s lower jaw.

Many years of study have shown that either the treatment leads to no increase in lower jaw length, or results in such a small increase that it’s not significant and does not change the extent of treatment still needed later.

Myth #3: Removal of permanent teeth as part of orthodontic treatment should be avoided at all cost.

Our natural instinct as parents is to want to save every precious tooth in our children’s mouths. Until recently, I believed that any orthodontic clinician worth his salt would tout their ‘no extraction’ policy as a badge of honour. How wrong I was.

Having recently spent time learning more about this issue, I now feel in certain cases that it is irresponsible not to remove teeth, if non-extraction would lead to protrusive teeth (ones sticking out in front of the supporting bone). Long-term, this

can lead to loss of gum, and even bone. Tooth removal is only recommended in around 20 per cent of the cases our Auckland specialists treat. If it is recommended, they will clearly explain why this is the optimal long term outcome for your child.

Myth Number #4: Most general dentists today can offer your child orthodontic treatment.

This is a tricky topic, so I will tread carefully. It is within the scope of a general dentist to carry out orthodontics. Many general dentists have been offering orthodontics for many years, and practise almost exclusively in this field with great success, whilst other dentists dabble in orthodontics and may have a small number of orthodontic cases that they are treating at any given time. I recommend that you make a fully informed decision about the clinician who will be treating your child. Ask questions about the number of cases they have treated, and what additional recognised qualifications they have. It’s also reasonable to ask them to show the treatment results of patients with similar problems to your child’s.

Myth #5: It is less expensive to get orthodontic treatment from a dentist than an orthodontist.

We regularly mystery shop our competitors to assess their level of service, including pricing. From our experience, there is minimal price difference between the providers, regardless of whether they are a general dentist or a specialist orthodontic practice.

Myth #6: There are new faster, cheaper, orthodontic systems now available that may be a good option for your child.

There is a very high demand for these new products by consumers — after all, who wouldn’t want their teeth straightened at half the cost and time? Under no circumstances would Lumino recommend these be used to treat anyone under 18. Even for adults, it must be considered with extreme caution.

Lumino is now considering its position on these systems, due to the risks associated with them, such as the high level of relapse once the treatment is complete. This causes us great concern, as we want our patients to remain happy with their treatment long term.

Kerry Dunphy is Marketing Manager of Lumino The Dentists, with 93 dental and orthodontic practices across New Zealand.

For further information, and to find dentists and orthodontic specialists within THE HOBSON’s area, visit lumino.co.nz

the portfolio

Our Fathers

September 6 is Father’s Day, so THE HOBSON gathered several local dads and asked them, and their kids, to share some paternal advice

photographed by nick tresidder at nick-t studios, parnell

the hobson 32

Terry King, Remuera Real Estate Register owner, and daughters Lucy, 18, commerce/law student, and Stacey, 32, an administrator in Port Hedland, Western Australia. Terry is also father to Angus, Oliver, Matthew and Nick, and has four grandchildren.

the hobson 33

the portfolio

Athlete and coach Rick Wells, of Parnell, with clockwise from top, his children Amelia, 13, Sophie, 11, and Harrison, 16

the hobson 34

OrÄ kei Local Board member and Remuera resident Mark Thomas, top right, with his father, retired topdressing pilot Bruce, and Mark’s sons, Ahryn, 12 (left), and Reuben, 9.

the hobson 35

the portfolio

Kai Luey, retired engineer and chair of the Auckland Chinese Community Centre, and his daughter, media executive Carolyn Luey, and her children, Ellie Aitkenhead, 9, and Josh Aitkenhead, 7. Both families live in Remuera. Kai also has a son, Jonathan, and two more grandchildren, who live in Sydney.

the hobson 36

Restaurateur (Parnell’s Woodpecker Hill, The Blue Breeze Inn) and MasterChef judge Mark Wallbank, and his father, thoroughbred breeder and retired master builder Bruce Wallbank. Bruce also has daughters Jane and Anna, and three grandchildren, all of whom live in London.

S

o what advice did your father give you? For the dads and offspring taking part in this portfolio, it didn’t take long to recall a saying that has stuck with them through the years. For Rick Wells, it was his dairy farmer father’s reaction to his enthusiasm for a book. “I’d just read Douglas Bader’s Reach for the Sky” Rick recalls. “I was telling my dad all about it. He just said, ‘try reaching for the top of the tree first’.”

“My father’s advice? Nothing was impossible. Whatever you wanted to be, you could be,” says Terry King. “I started a new career at the age of 62.” It's advice that he’s given to his own children.

Kai Luey can recall exactly the words of wisdom his father, Luey Woo You, instilled. “If you work hard, save hard and maintain strong Chinese family values, you will certainly earn life’s riches.” Carolyn Luey says that filtered down to her as encouragement to be independent, and that “if you work hard, and have integrity, you’ll be successful.”

It was a similiar refrain in the Wallbank home in Pukekohe, where a strong work ethic was fostered in all three siblings.

“If you want it, you have to work for it,”says Mark Wallbank of father Bruce’s advice.

Mark Thomas grew up knowing community involvement was a central tenent ­— there’s generations of service. While he’s keen to instill that in his sons, they in turn offered up some other gems of dad wisdom. “When I was young and didn’t like some food,” says nine-year-old Reuben Thomas, “Dad would say ‘pretend that it’s chocolate’.”

the hobson 37

the magpie Whether the pointy end of the A380 or cattle class, nothing transports you to your own world like Bose QuietComfort 25 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones, $479. Ultra comfortable with precision sound, and not a whisper from the outside world. Also good for wearing around the house for dads still trying desperately to believe “I am an island.

I’m bloody Ibiza.” Available from Bose Newmarket. www.bose.co.nz

Summer is on its way (really) and Working Style are keeping things cool. This formal jacket with exquisite detailing is actually built like a lightweight jacket. This means no lining, and only enough internal structure to ensure you look sleek and svelte, yet retain your sang froide in the heat. Working Style also offers gift vouchers, which work well for their made-to-measure service.

Blue Check Cotton Jacket, $1290, from Working Style, 523 Parnell Rd. www.workingstyle.co.nz

We thought this bike looked super hot. Father will no doubt be more interested in the fact that it is a Brendan Fairclough WC DH replica bike — a no compromises, DH weapon with custom race-tuned Fox suspension and World Cup podium proven components. It is available with custom options, like lower and slacker geometry, longer shock and tweaked leverage.

Are you following? Anyway, it comes in cheaper than a Panamera. The Scott Gambler 710, $9180, available from Avanti Plus Newmarket, 108 Carlton Gore Rd. www.avantiplus.co.nz

With this fabulously entertaining, informative, so-easy-to-read book, there’s no need to sound like a classical music numpty. Ideal for dads who like to know a little about a lot, or those learned types who can handle coming-of-age with style and grace. How to hear classical music by Davinia Caddy, $26, from Paper Plus Newmarket

Stylist Justine Williams turns The Magpie’s eye to Father’s Day fancies

Nobody knows their French reds like Jean-Christophe at Maison Vauron. He has the best advice on wine that’s almost too good to drink (yeah, right, like that’s a thing.) A thoughtfully selected bottle is just the ticket for un père of all vintages — we’re keen on the Domaine de Senechaux Chateauneuf du Pape 2012, $74.

JC tells us this wine is “a great success”. Trés bien. Maison Vauron, 5 McColl St, Newmarket. www.mvauron.co.nz

the hobson 38

An absolute beginner or a veteran of the game, a session with Gerald or Jason, the resident golf pros at Remuera Golf Club, will upskill papa’s technique. Or you could shout him a bucket of balls at the fancy new driving range (it’s open to the public). One-on-one private coaching starts at $65 for half an hour.

Inquiries to Remuera Golf Club, www.remueragolfclub.com

The cool Ray-Ban Clubmaster has added stylish wooden frames to its line-up. There are versions using walnut, maple and cherry, lined for maximum comfort and to ensure the glasses are flexible and durable. Available in both sun and optical versions, Ray-Ban Clubmaster Wood, $545, available from Sunglass Hut Newmarket. www.sunglasshut.co.nz

The Damier collection was the original Louis Vuitton trademarked design, long before the Monogram achieved world domination.

We are big fans of all things Damier and love that this handsome belt works equally well with suits and tailored trousers, to jeans and shorts. Louis Vuitton Neogram Damier Canvas Graphite Belt, $545.

Louis Vuitton, 56 Queen St. louisvuitton.com

Early adopters rejoice – the Apple Watch is here.

Nothing makes you feel more youthful than positioning yourself at the forefront of technology, so get on board. This worldon-your-wrist allows you to keep on top of messages, calls, emails, your diary, without obvious iPhoneoveruse. So covert. Priced from $599, the Apple Watch is only available in Auckland from Noel Leeming, 126 Queen Street (and also Wairau Park).

Keep dad ahead of the curve with these culty kicks.

Common Projects is a premium footwear brand made in Italy. The cool kids tell us they are highly covetable.

Common Projects Original Achilles Low Sneakers, available in black or white leather. $598 from Workshop, 18 Morrow St, Newmarket.

Hours of fun in the hallway, or down the office corridor.

Made in India from locally sourced, sustainable mango wood, this natty Bowling Ball and Pins set is $311 from Leopold Hall, 6 Morrow St, Newmarket.

A good man-bag is hard to find, but we’ve done it. We love the Rains collection not only for its jackets, but also for the fab weekender or overnight bags. And the perfect gift is always one that can be shared (like for us to use on a girl’s weekend). Rains Bag $130, from Hedgerow, 371 Remuera Rd. www.hedgerow.co.nz

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the psyche

Managing Overwhelming Emotions

V

ery often in my practice, I meet children or teenagers who are deathly afraid of both their emotions, and the physical sensations associated with them.

Samantha, 11 (all names have been changed), hated the feeling she would get in her tummy whenever she had to talk to someone new, or stand up and answer a question. It was bad enough that she had to make a presentation in her class, but what sent her over the edge was the feeling she got in her stomach just before. Because she threw up once before a big presentation, Samantha spent her days in school hyper-vigilant for the first signs of nausea, and often came home saying that she was “sick”.

Lila, a 13-year-old struggling to fit in, was brought in by her mother because she too was refusing to go to school. It turned out that the feeling of her heart beating a little faster when things got a little tough with the other girls sent her into a spin, and she would ask to come home for fear that she was having a heart attack. This anxiety over her heart “beating too fast” quickly translated to PE. Lila refused to run with her class, or enter the swimming pool, afraid that the physical sensations associated both with her fear and exercise was too scary to bear.

Susy too was deadly afraid of the feeling she got when away from her mother at night. She had one difficult night in which she said she “felt nauseous and cried myself to sleep” while staying at a friend’s house, and would not do school camps for fear that the nausea would return. “Only my mother can make my tummy feel better”, she said.

Children often feel their anxiety somatically. Adults too often mistake anxiety and strong emotions for physical illness. Panic attacks are often mistaken for heart attacks, or a serious respiratory illness, and it is one of the most common reasons people take themselves to emergency rooms.

If your child, or someone close to you, starts to fear physical sensations, it’s important to acknowledge the fear that a physical sensation can ignite. Anxiety is won primarily through self-talk, and children often cotton very quickly on to the idea that “emotions are scary but not dangerous”.

In all the above cases, I had a lengthy discussion with the children on what happens in both their minds, and in their bodies, when

something anxiety provoking occurs. What the children eventually come to see is that emotions are like a wave. They escalate and escalate in times of grief, anxiety and anger — but they seldom last.

To make this point, I often have children pinch me. While I yelp initially in pain, I tell them to hold on. Resisting the urge to push their fingers off my arm, the children quickly come to see that not only is the initial effect on me intensely painful, this pain appears to escalate. However, they also see that before long, I become able to have a conversation with them, with the pain reducing sufficiently so that after a while, I no longer notice that they are still pinching my arm.

Kids love this exercise, and it makes the point nicely. The trick is to allow yourself to ride the wave and feel the full force of your emotion, rather than try to stop the feelings, escape them (e.g. by going home from a sleepover) or drown them out.

Many adults would do well to learn this lesson. How many of us when in emotional pain resort to, drugs or alcohol or video games?

Emotion regulation is a vital skill, and the first part of this is noticing one’s emotions, being able to identify and describe the emotion.

The second part of the skill is learning to accept the emotion, and allow yourself to simply have the emotion and feel its full force, rather than fighting it tooth and nail by throwing a temper tantrum to change the situation that’s upsetting you, yelling at your spouse, or drowning it out with alcohol, or cutting.

The third component is identifying the thoughts related to the behaviour. People who get good at managing anxiety and difficult emotions get good at identifying their own problematic thoughts, and finding more reasonable alternatives.

The fourth component is goal-directed behaviour, which essentially is choosing to do what’s best for you despite the emotions, rather than complying with its demands.

For a child such as Susy, this means going to a sleepover because it will be fun, and would help with her goal to attend school camp — rather than giving in to the impulse to go home because her stomach was churning.

Using the steps above, it was possible to give Susy and the other children the resources to both understand their emotions, and by doing that, manage those crippling fears. — Dr Amrit Kaur

WE ARE ONLINE! WWW.DESIGNQUARTER.CO.NZ THE BEST OF THE OLD AND THE VERY BEST OF THE NEW! FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM We will be back in Remuera with a pop up shop mid October DQOnline_Hobson84x180hoz.indd 1

10-Aug-15 8:21:45 PM

the second act

A New Road Travelled

F

irst our daughter left home, then my husband went to LA on an extended work trip. Then, we sent our son up there to join him on a father/son holiday. And I was left … alone.

It was the first time I had been completely alone for more than 20 years. It was … bliss. As an extreme extrovert I draw energy from external experiences, and people, so to come home to an empty house was a little odd for the first day or so. But I soon got the hang of it. Just me and Hunny the spoodle, Thelma and Louise-ing.

It’s hard for me to admit as a vocal feminist that I have not had long gaps of time without a man in my life. I remember years ago, in a break between boyfriends, that a well-wishing friend gave me some good advice – “stop going out, make it a rule: two nights by yourself, at home, getting used to your own company”.

In my 20s I found this rather agonizing, particularly when another well-meaning friend gave me Stephanie Dowrick’s Intimacy and Solitude to read. I skimmed it with little interest, as with an acute case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), my mind was consumed with loneliness, secretly thinking “Oh I wish I had a boyfriend”. It pains me to reflect on my past insecurity.

This time around I really didn’t want, or need, anyone around.

One evening, I indulged in a five-hour binge-watching session of my favourite TV show, in bed eating salted caramel ice-cream out of a tub. Twenty-five years ago I would have considered myself a loser. But that night I was triumphant, and went back for seconds.

Recently I listened to Liza Mundy being interviewed on National Radio by Kathryn Ryan. She is a US social commentator and writer on gender, policy and work issues. She spoke of 60 being the new 40 (I know, now we’ve heard it all) but her point was that for women, after they have got their kids to a certain age, it is no longer the time to put on the gardening gloves and play golf, but to stop compromising and start living. For many it’s the time when they can — and want to — prioritise their career.

I talk a lot in my leadership development work with women about on-ramping and off-ramping the career highway. You can have it all, but possibly not at once, so take the scenic route until there are fewer competing agenda and obligations in your way.

But at some point, women literally find themselves on a freeway, with a clean licence, a good car and nothing to lose by just going for it.

We are seeing a generation of educated baby-boomer women coming into their own as they approach 60 and beyond. Mundy cites Hillary Clinton, Christine Lagarde and Angela Merkel as just three high profile “older women” who have left their big play till later on in life. They have the credentials, the contacts, and most importantly, the wisdom. Admittedly this may be a middle class occurrence, and not all women have this luxury.

But while we don’t all want to play on the global political stage, I have over the years observed an interesting phenomenon — so many women as they break through the 50 barrier really come into their own in some way. It can be as simple as actually seeing themselves as a separate entity to their husband. Call it the second flowering of the post-menopausal woman. And this is often the time where their counterpart, the mid-life male, is following a more traditional trajectory and at least planning to slow down (perhaps a story for another day).

This new awareness of older women is just one of the many contributors to a rising divorce rate in couples over 50. And this is not just a western world trend — it’s the same in Japan. In the past, it was “man running off with secretary”. Today I suspect it’s independent women simply running off, with no desire to repartner. (Major disclaimer in case my husband is reading this, I’m not suggesting divorce, but aren’t you just loving this time apart? I suspect the answer is ‘hell yeah’).

Loneliness and solitude. There’s a huge difference, and I suspect embracing the latter helps cure the former.

— Sandy Burgham

the hobson 41

the cinema

The September Cinema STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON director F. Gary Gray. Starring O’Shea Jackson Jr, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr, R. Marcos Taylor, Paul Giamatti. This “not 100 per cent official” biopic, but still really an N.W.A biopic, tracks the roots of the groundbreaking Californian music crew, N.W.A. In the mid-1980s the group, primarily known for what became dubbed “gangsta rap”, emerged from LA’s South Central neighbourhoods and revolutionised pop culture at a time of political and social unrest across America. The film tracks the lives of the core members — Dr Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella — who became cultural forces both during N.W.A’s reign and beyond.

Keira Knightley, Emily Watson, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright. Not the story of Sir Ed’s spectacular feat, but rather what happens when the world’s tallest mountain claims climbers. In May 1996,

PEOPLE PLACES,THINGS director James Strouse. Starring Jermaine Clements, Regina Hall, Jessica Williams, Michael Chernus.

When your wife and the mother of your children leaves you for an offBroadway monologist, and then blames it on you, what do you do? Exactly.

Kiwi favourite Clements (Flight of the Conchords) plays Will Henry, a heartbroken graphic novelist attempting to balance parenting, teaching a class of disinterested students, and letting go of his cheating ex. A charming American comedy, full of dry humour we Kiwis love.

EVEREST - director Baltasar Kormakur. ´ Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke,

eight members of an Everest ascent party — including experienced guides, New Zealanders Rob Hall and Andy Harris — were caught in a devastating blizzard, and died on the mountain. This was, until

Special Screening: Wednesday 16 September Arrival 5:45pm $33* Cine Buzz members / $35* Standard Includes film, nibbles, glass of wine & goodie bag www.rialto.co.nz *$1.20 online booking fee

the recent Nepal earthquake, the single deadliest day on Everest.

SICARIO - director Denis Villeneuve.

Starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jon Bernthal, Victor Garber. In the border area between the US and Mexico, FBI agent Kate Macer (Blunt) is enlisted by an elite task force to provide her skills as the escalating war against drugs reaches a crisis. Leading this team are Alejandro (Del Toro) and Matt (Brolin), men with considerably questionable pasts. As the violence escalates, and lines blur, Kate must decide who to trust and who to kill, as arrest is no longer the only option.

LONDON ROAD - director Rufus Norris. Starring Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Kate Fleetwood, Alexia Khadime. This modern-day musical/ real life story is based on verbatim accounts of the events of 2006, when the bodies of five women, victims of serial killer Steve Wright, were discovered in Ipswich, Suffolk. Based on the award-winning West End musical of the same name, the dialogue and musical scenes are derived from the transcripts of the neighbours interviewed, and police and officials involved in solving the tragedy.

— Caitlin McKenna All films listed will screen at Rialto Cinemas Newmarket during September

the bookmark

A Good Read

WHERE MY HEART USED TO BEAT Sebastian Faulks (Random House) This sweeping drama about the madness of war and the power of love marks Faulks' return, after 20 years, to the fictional territory of Birdsong. Profoundly affecting, the story sweeps through the 20th century, brilliantly interrogating the darkest corners of the human mind, and bearing tender witness to the abiding strength of love.

ARCADIA Iain Pears (Allen & Unwin) A captivating literary thriller. Three interlocking worlds, four people looking for answers. But who controls the future, or the past? Henry Lytten — a spy turned academic and writer — sits at his desk in Oxford, dreaming of other worlds while embarking on a new novel. Meanwhile, one of Lytten’s former intelligence colleagues tracks him down for one last assignment.

PLAGUE & CHOLERA Patrick Deville (Hachette) This fictionalised memoir opens in 1940, when the elderly Alexandre Yersin, Swiss-born scientist and polymath, takes the last flight out of Paris back to Asia. When he was the brilliant young protégé of Louis Pasteur, Yersin identified

and vaccinated against bubonic plague, later named in his honour Yersinia pestis.

His story is told against wars, pandemics, colonialism, progress, and decadence. A vivid, captivating novelisation of a brilliant man’s life.

BLINDSIDED Michael Lynagh (Harper Collins) The Australian rugby legend reflects on his career and how close he came to losing his life. The Wallabies' fly-half and captain, Lynagh had a spectacular playing career, earning 72 test caps from 1984 up until his retirement from test rugby in 1995.

But in April 2012, he lay partially blinded in the intensive care unit of the Royal Brisbane Hospital, following a major stroke. A tale of both an elite sportsman playing to the top of his profession, and also a very human story of surviving debilitating trauma.

HEROES & VILLAINS OF FINANCE A. Baldwin (John Wiley) From philosophers and bankers to fraudsters and academics, this book is a striking introduction to the most remarkable characters in the history of finance. Learn how the Knights Templar became the first banking institution, examine the Rothschild family’s pioneering

use of financial instruments in order to safeguard their wealth and study the origins and evolution of the Ponzi scheme.

BORDEAUX CHATEAUX (Thames & Hudson) For all wine lovers, this new edition of the bestseller is now offered as an attractively-priced deluxe paperback. It has been updated with tasting notes for the wine harvests since 2005, and includes an extensive preface by Hugh Johnson. Devoted primarily to contemporary profiles of the chateaux, it is richly illustrated. There’s also features on the winemakers who uphold the traditions that have defined these exceptional wines for more than 150 years.

SONS + FATHERS Edited by Kathy Gilfillan (Random House) A remarkable array of world leaders, writers and musicians, cultural icons and actors, feature in this anthology. Moving, fascinating, often funny, the contributors include Bill Clinton, Bono, Bob Geldof, George Clooney, Hanif Kureishi and Sting. From writing about special moments to open letters, the essays give insight into private relationships, and there’s images and illustrations from the contributors too. — Gail Woodward

the cookbook

Culinary School

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BEST-EVER EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE (Term 4/Spring sweets) Contributed by Jan and John Morris, Headmaster 1993–2012 (Andrew ’00).

This cake is our son’s all-time favourite. I got the recipe in 1993 and made it so often in the 20 years we were at Grammar – for Grammar sports’ teams, hostel boys, my computer classes and the Art Exhibition committee – covered in ganache and Jaffas for the boys and Maltesers for the mums.

Ingredients 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp baking soda ½ cup cocoa 1 tsp salt 1 3/4 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 cup sour milk (or 1 cup milk plus 1 tsp vinegar) 1 cup black coffee ½ cup oil 1 tsp vanilla essence Ganache 250g good quality dark chocolate 125g unsalted butter 50ml cold water

L

ike the Auckland Grammar community, the school’s new cookbook is a diverse collection. From barbecued paua (Term 1/Summer appetisers) to Korean spicy rice cakes (Term 3/Winter sides) and “First XI Macaroni Cheese” (Term 4/Spring mains), A Taste of Grammar covers the gamut of tastes and appetites with more than 150 recipes.

Auckland Grammar School has been educating boys since 1869 but until now has never produced a cookbook. A Taste of Grammar draws recipes from the school community, current and former (including Max Gimblett, Hamish Carter, and knights Graham, Henry, Norris).

“There’s no doubt that good food, and probably large quantities of it, have been a high priority for Grammar boys since 1869,” writes headmaster Tim O’Connor in his introduction. “In true Grammar fashion,” he also notes, “our cookbook is structured.

It is formatted in line with our school year, with each term falling largely across each of the four seasons.”

The compilation of recipes was edited by old boy Anthony Hoy Fong (class of ’91), pictured above, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and today a New Yorkbased chef who consults to the White House.

In his foreword, Hoy Fong says that initially he was concerned about accurately representing Grammar’s “long, proud history, multi-generational families, diverse ethnicities and cross-continent network of Old Boys”. The call for submissions, happily, resulted in “an immediate and overwhelmingly positive response” with the result, he writes, being “one of the most complete, diverse and incredible collections of recipes I have worked with.”

A Taste of Grammar can be ordered via the school’s website, ags.school.nz. Copies are $45 each and all profits go to the school’s Foundation Trust Academic Endowment Fund, which helps attract and reward strong teachers. As a palate tempter, here are two of the recipes from the book, reproduced with permission.

the hobson 45

Method Preheat oven to 180C. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt into your mixer bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Beat using electric mixer for 2 minutes until smooth. Pour mixture into a 20cm baking tin. Bake for 1 ¼ hours and then leave to cool before turning out.

Note: This is an easy recipe to double or triple for a crowd of teenage boys.

For Ganache Place all ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan. Place pan over low heat until chocolate and butter have melted. Stir regularly until mixture is smooth, thick and glossy. Do not let it boil or it will become grainy and oily. Leave to cool until slightly thickened (about 20-30 minutes) before using.

Ganache keeps very well covered in the fridge so it can be made well ahead and warmed when needed.

Prep time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 1 ¼ hours. Serves 10.

the cookbook

LOIS’S CHICKEN MARBELLA (Term 2/Autumn mains)

Contributed by the Kofoed family (Peter ’45, Robert ’74, Hamish ’88 and Gabriel ’15).

Ingredients 4 good sized chickens, quartered, or approximately 4kgs of mixed chicken pieces 1 head of garlic, peeled and pureed (mixing in a little of the olive oil can make the purée process easier) ¼ cup dried oregano Freshly ground pepper and coarse salt ½ cup red wine vinegar ½ cup olive oil 1 cup pitted prunes ½ cup Spanish green olives ½ cup capers and a bit of juice 6 bay leaves 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white wine ¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley or coriander, finely chopped Additional parsley to garnish Method In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 180C. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them. Bake for 50 minutes, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is cooked when thigh pieces pricked with a fork, at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes and olives and some marinade onto a serving platter.

Garnish with fresh parsley.

This recipe feeds 10, but can easily be halved or quartered. It’s also great for chicken wings/nibbles as an entree or served cold at a picnic. The flavours improve with age.

Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Prep time: 20 minutes plus overnight for marination time.

Cooking time: 50 minutes. Serves 10.

Food photography by Anna Kidman, reproduced with permission from A Taste of Grammar. Photo of Anthony Hoy Fong by Pete Bruggerman

Z

THE HOBSON has a copy of A Taste of Grammar to give away, courtesy of the school.

To enter, email business@thehobson.co.nz with “TASTE” in the subject line, by 5pm Friday September 18. Please include your mailing address.

A winner’s name will be selected at random.

the hobson 46

the sound

All Dressed Up, and Nowhere to Play

A

t the time of writing, Auckland’s Laneways festival is up in the air due to a lack of venue.

The Laneways concept started in Australia. It’s an independent urban music festival. Hipster bands performing on medium sized stages in city settings. It’s been in Auckland for five years, starting in the Britomart precinct, then Aotea Square and most recently in the Wynyard Quarter. Last year 12,000 people turned up.

But this year Wynyard is out of bounds while it’s developed as an urban residential area. The organisers asked to move it to The Domain, but the council said no. So the organisers have been exploring Albert Park. Albert Park would be fun. Pretty and central and no stranger to rock events, with 95BFM having staged loads of great gigs there in the bandstand.

The whole schemozzle though has got me thinking of Auckland's music venues. The good, the bad and the ugly.

It’s no bad thing for Laneways to be on the move, as I have always found the Wynyard venue to be brutal. Let’s be honest, it’s a carpark. A slab of boiling hot asphalt, but with a pleasing cityscape backdrop. My first instinct was to move the thing to Victoria Park.

A glorious backdrop, nice trees, easily fenced and easy to get to. Victoria Park is under-utilised in our city in my view.

Playing fields in the middle of a major city is a luxury. I always hankered to see Kiri Te Kanawa or Neil Finn in that park, with a big crowd and fireworks off the Sky Tower. In London they have a series of concerts in Hyde Park. This year The Who and Taylor Swift were the headliners. Why can’t the same sort of thing happen at Victoria Park?

Most of our bigger outdoor gigs happen in the vineyard tours.

While they’re very lovely — I had a glorious night at Roxy Music a few years back — they’re a nightmare to get to, and to drive home from, if you’ve had a few. Roxy Music or Icehouse at Victoria Park would have been much bigger. But I guess we’d have to bury that ugly viaduct first.

A central city venue would be so good, and I’ve always regretted the Rugby League selling Carlaw Park. Not only would it be a lovely little 20,000 seater stadium for the rectangle field games, but what a good little concert venue. I saw Tracy Chapman there back in the 80s. It was awesome. The city skyline behind, and so easy to get to.

You could even have had a train station there — Parnell is underway.

The Eagles played there 40 years ago, so did Rick Wakeman, and evangelist Billy Graham even got 60,000 into the ground once

upon a time. It’s too late now, but I hope that the powers that be are still looking for somewhere to recreate Carlaw Park.

For the big gigs there’s Mt Smart and Western Springs. The Springs is my favourite hands down just because of it’s accessibility and heritage. I’m surprised more bands haven’t used North Harbour Stadium. I’ve seen Bryan Adams and also The Who there and both gigs were great. They felt like Vector, but bigger.

When it comes to the crowd of 12,000 gigs, we’re well served

by Vector Arena which shows how good a central city venue can be. And it’s good to see more bands coming back to the Town Hall. That venue has some of my best memories — the Boomtown Rats, Cheap Trick, Split Enz, The Cure and more recently the Foo Fighters and Jake Bugg. I’m itching to see Fat Freddy’s Drop at the Town Hall next month.

Then there’s the unloved Logan Campbell Centre. It’s a concrete bunker, but I tell you — it rocks. The Pretenders, U2's first tour and Massive Attack are just some of the gigs I’ve seen there. I actually really like it. Venues need to be trashable. Like the Powerstation, which is also having a resurgence.

Where this town really lets itself down is a lack of venues for local bands. We used to have the Gluepot, the Windsor Castle, Mainstreet, the Mon Desir and more. The Kings Arms is the only survivor. So if you’re up and coming, where do you play?

Back in the 80s you’d scan the Auckland Star and see five or six gigs to choose from on a Saturday night.

Will you check out the Rumba Bar, the Reverb Room or risk getting beaten up by a bootboy at Zwines? There were the buck-a-head gigs at His Majesty’s, and in summer you could see Dragon or Hello Sailor or Th’ Dudes at Cornwall Park or Myers Park as part of the old concerts in parks schedule.

Want to see the suburban bands? Check out the Island of Real in Wakefield St, or XS on Fanshawe St. Love the blues? Then off to the Globe you go. Then there were underage rages in church halls or the Titirangi War Memorial Hall where I saw Citizen Band literally bring the house down when the acoustic tile ceiling fell in when Greg Clark hit a high note in a guitar solo.

Lately, my 16-year-old has been disappearing off to five or 10 dollar gigs in city warehouses, so it’s coming back. But wouldn’t it be good if we got a city rock circuit up and running again? Because some of my best rock memories have been drenched in sweat and raging up a storm, with a band on a tiny stage two feet from your smiling face. — Andrew Dickens

the hobson 47

the anzacs

The Serving Sisters In a series to mark the centenary of World War I, THE HOBSON is publishing each month research conducted by Remuera Heritage into the stories behind servicemen and women with connections to the suburb.

This month, chair Sue Cooper writes of two local nurses, mentioned in despatches

B

essie Maxfield was born on November 12, 1887, one of the seven daughters of Henry (Harry) and Mary Maxfield of “Henley Grove”, 51 Market Rd, Remuera.

Harry was a successful merchant with a large grocer’s shop, and a founding member of the Remuera Bowling Club.

Bessie attended Remuera Primary School, and was later a nurse at Auckland Hospital, enlisting in the New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS) on January 8, 1917. She was selected for the third commission of the New Zealand hospital ship Maheno. The Maheno sailed from Wellington for a roundthe-globe voyage collecting and clearing men from the New Zealand hospitals in the UK, and carrying them to various ports en route back to NZ, including Gibraltar, Malta, Suez, Port Said, Mumbai and Colombo.

However, when the British hospital ship Salta was mined and sunk in the English Channel in April 1917, with the loss of nine nursing sisters, five medical officers and 38 members of the Royal Army Medical Corp, the NZ Army Council decreed that all sisters were to be taken off the hospital ships. This came as a great blow to nurses in active service who were stood down from the Maheno.

Bessie was sent to the military hospital at Trentham, but not long after, the decision was rescinded.

Bessie was promoted to sister, and was back on board in October for the Maheno’s fourth commission, travelling to England and back. There were two more return trips to England in 1918.

But it was on the troop ship Tahiti with the 40th Reinforcements in July 1918 that Bessie Maxfield — by now a charge nurse — faced great personal danger. The global influenza epidemic had broken out, and the Tahiti was stricken — doctors, nurses and crew afflicted. Bessie ended up in an isolation hospital after nursing dying men, for whom very little could be done.

The nursing sisters on the Tahiti were mentioned in despatches in terms of the highest commendation for their

splendid work, and devotion to duty under the most trying circumstances. “Too much praise cannot be allocated to Sister Maxfield and the nurses under her charge, as all worked most assiduously and effectively to cope with the epidemic. It is regretted that the same cannot be said about the medical orderlies, who were apparently ill-trained and did not show any marked capability or zeal”. It was recommended that Bessie be given the Royal Red Cross, but there had been a rule made that this should only be awarded after a term of service, to which she had not attained.

Also on board the Tahiti during the flu epidemic was another nurse hailing from Remuera.

Staff nurse Isobel MacLennan had lived at “Cluanie”, 48 Victoria Ave, Remuera. She too was mentioned in despatches in connection with the epidemic, and had also sailed with Bessie Maxfield on the Maheno in 1917 and 1918.

After the war, Isobel married engineer and Military Cross winner Silston Cory-Wright, of Parnell.

Cory-Wright joined his fellow Corps of NZ Engineers officer Cedric Salmon to found the engineering firm Cory-Wright and Salmon, which played a significant part in NZ’s hydroelectric power and railways development.

Sister Bessie Maxfield returned to New Zealand in August 1919, and left active service in February 1920.

She married Joseph West, manager of the National Bank in Whangarei, and they had two sons and a daughter. Bessie inherited the Market Rd house after the death of her mother in 1932. Bessie died in 1974 and is buried in the Purewa cemetery. She is remembered on the Remuera Primary School gates, and the St Luke’s Church roll of honour.

Isobel MacLennan died in Wellington in 1970, aged 80, survived by her husband and two sons. — Sue Cooper Sources for this story include the New Zealand Herald archive, teara.govt.nz and Kai Tiaki: The journal of the Nurses of New Zealand.

Staff nurse Isobel MacLennan (later Isobel Cory-Wright) pictured most likely on the hospital ship “Maheno” during WWI. Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library

the hobson 48

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