The Hobson December 17

december 2017

no shore thing p community clean-up p christmas treats local news, views & informed opinions

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The December Issue, No. 44 10

39

the editor’s letter

the doctor

12

Women’s health special Dr Anil Sharma on the options for dealing with endometriosis

the columnists

40

14

the bookmark

the village Remuera residents band together to clean up the Newmarket Stream, Parnell’s heritage roses could do with more helping hands, where to have a Christmas drink, meet Pippa Coom, and more

Guest writer Karen Walker chooses her favourite books for holiday reading, and giving

42 the magpie This month, The Magpie flies to Remuera for the pick of Christmas gift ideas

24 the councillors News from Councillors Desley Simpson (Ōrākei) and Mike Lee (Waitematā & Gulf)

44

33

Justine Williams plays Santa’s helper with some delightful stocking-filler ideas

the politicians

the pretty

Local members David Seymour and Paul Goldsmith share their updates

46

30

Anthony Browne and Fiona Allan pack up their young family and relocate to Copenhagen for a whole, wonderful, month

the plan

the destination

The subject of several grand plans, the Shore Rd Reserve has an interesting past, writes Hamish Firth

50

34

Fare from summery Havelock North — Black Barn shares favourite recipes perfect for Christmas

the second act

the appetite

Finally, a Christmas list of what women actually want, as devised

by Sandy Burgham

54

35

Foo Fighters! The National! Grace Jones! Andrew Dickens can’t imagine a better summer with artists like this in town

the suburbanist

the sound

Tommy Honey’s found all the plugged-in gadgets you (don’t) need this Christmas

55

36

What’s happening in December

the investment

56

Companies with a savvy digital strategy are the ones to watch, notes Warren Couillault

38

the district diary

the cryptic Our puzzle, by Māyā. Hint: some answers are local

the teacher Judi Paape stands up for a good, robust motto

Deck the Halls Decorate your home and your table with these beautiful floral designs, from BLUSH Parnell. Courtesy of BLUSH, we have two festive wreaths to give away (valued at $90 each), plus two striking Christmas table centrepieces (valued at $85, and including the vase). To be one of our four lucky winners, email business@thehobson.co.nz with BLUSH in the subject line, by Friday December 15. If you are a winner, you will need to be able to collect your prize from BLUSH, 76 Gladstone Rd, Parnell, on Wednesday December 20 (wreaths) and Friday December 22 (table pieces). Happy Christmas!

The fine print: By entering this competition, you agree that your email details will be retained by The Hobson for our marketing database

the hobson 6

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issue 44, december 2017 Editor & Publisher Kirsty Cameron editor@thehobson.co.nz Art Direction & Production Stephen Penny design@thehobson.co.nz Advertising Sales Rex Pearce rex@thevalueexchange.co.nz 021 883 891 News Editor Mary Fitzgerald maryfitzgerald.thehobson@gmail.com Writers This Issue Anthony Browne, Kirsty Cameron, Mary Fitzgerald, Chantelle Murray, Karen Walker, Justine Williams Sub-editor Fiona Wilson Columnists & Contributors This Issue Sandy Burgham, Warren Couillault, Andrew Dickens, Hamish Firth, Paul Goldsmith, Tommy Honey, Mike Lee, Māyā, Judi Paape, David Seymour, Anil Sharma, Desley Simpson Photographer Stephen Penny Cover Shore Rd, Remuera in the early 1900s, before the reclamation of the foreshore. See The Plan, page 30 THE HOBSON is published 10 times a year by The Hobson Limited, PO Box 37490 Parnell, Auckland 1151. www.thehobson.co.nz F: TheHobsonMagazine I: @TheHobson Ideas, suggestions, advertising inquiries welcome. editor@thehobson.co.nz Or via Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheHobsonMagazine

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

For more about us, follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

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.

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the editor's letter

T

his month, you’ll notice a new name in our pages — women’s health specialist Dr Anil Sharma joins us. His first column, on page 34, is about endometriosis, a painful condition shared by many women. In this issue, we also have our special Christmas fare, including an on-point local shopping guide in a special edition of The Magpie (see page 42), and some sensational seasonal recipes from one of our favourite outof-town destinations, Hawke’s Bay’s Black Barn (page 50).

Wherever you are this Christmas, I hope you have a happy time, surrounded by people you care about, and who care about you.

Kirsty Cameron editor@thehobson.co.nz 0275 326 424 Facebook: The Hobson magazine Instagram: TheHobson

News editor Mary Fitzgerald spoke to Waitematā Local Board chair Pippa Coom about her role, and asked her to share something most people wouldn’t know. That turned out to be ownership of a 1934 Austin 7 — that’s Coom at the wheel, with her mother, Barbara Grace, as passenger. “My dad, Mel Coom, bought the car in the late 60s, and was a founding member of the London Austin 7 club,” says Coom. “I inherited it from my dad, had it restored in the UK and shipped over about nine years ago.” Read the full interview on page 22.

Dear Santa, I would love this for Christmas. You can find it at the popup bookstore at Playpark by Karen Walker, in Balm St, Newmarket (I can provide a Google map reference, but really, everyone knows where it is).

I have been extremely good again this year. If this has sold, there’s lots more ideas in Karen Walker’s piece about her love of books, on page 40.

Thank you, Kirsty.

Yes, even Mahé needs a navigator.

J U S T N O T O N T H E W AT E R

GUIDING, GROWING, AND P R O T E C T I N G YO U R W E A LT H

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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.playclc.com Precious Clark (The Kaitiaki) is a professional director who sits on several boards, and a young leader of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. A law graduate, she lives in Ōrākei and contributes a periodic column.

Remuera resident Warren Couillault (The Investment) is an executive director and the major shareholder of Hobson Wealth Partners, a private wealth advisory group. He is a shareholder and director of Generate Investment Management Ltd; and manager of a registered Kiwisaver scheme.

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. www.mthobsonproperties.co.nz Mary Fitzgerald is The Hobson’s News Editor. A Mainlander who transplanted to Remuera 13 years ago, she is passionate about hearing and telling our stories.

Urban design critic Tommy Honey (The Suburbanist) is a former architect. The Remuera resident is a regular guest on RNZ National, discussing the built environment.

Judi Paape (The Teacher) is a parent, grandparent and highly-experienced teacher and junior school principal.

A Parnell resident, her column appears bi-monthly.

Contributing writer Wayne Thompson is a former The New Zealand Herald journalist, covering Auckland news.

He has been a resident of Parnell for 33 years.

Contributing editor Justine Williams is an interiors stylist, writer and fashion editor. The Remuera resident has been the editor of Simply You and Simply You Living.

the hobson 12

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the village

Town & Around ON DECK FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT The members of Remuera environment group From the Deck are set to restore a neglected, polluted local stream, back into a thriving, clean waterway.

Residents whose properties back on to the Newmarket Stream have formed a group to devise plans to clean up and restore the stream, freeing it of rubbish, noxious weeds, and pests.

The Newmarket Stream’s source is from Ōhinerau Mt Hobson. It comes to the surface on Ada St and winds down through the valley through a number of private properties, crossing the boundary lines of the Waitematā and Orākei Local Board areas along Middleton Rd. It then flows through a viaduct under Middleton Rd, through the gully in Newmarket Park, then under Ayr St and Brighton Rd, and out into Hobson Bay. Its short route takes in three suburbs — Remuera, Newmarket and Parnell.

Rod and Penny Hansen are the initiators of From the Deck — their Ada St property runs down to part of the waterway.

Concerned by the growth and pollution along the stream’s path, the Hansens spoke with other locals, including Susan Buckland and Carole Davies, to see what could be done to enhance the stream and its environment.

The result was a meeting of neighbours at the Hansen’s house to muster up ideas for, and interest in, bringing the stream back to life. The gathering took place on the Hansen’s deck, overlooking the stream, and From the Deck was born.

“At the meeting, we all agreed we were really keen to make a difference to the forgotten stream’s quality, but really didn’t have a clue on where to start,” says Susan Buckland, a Middleton Rd resident.

Since then, Penny Hansen has spearheaded the project, making contact with Waitematā Local Board member Rob Thomas, and securing funding from both local boards. The Newmarket Stream bisects the ward boundaries and this is the first joint project between the Waitematā and Ōrākei boards, says Thomas.

“Both local boards have committed to working long-term with neighbours to restore the stream, and have set aside a $60,000 budget, enlisting help from Gecko NZ Trust and Council's Health Waters Team to provide technical support to the group,” says Thomas.

Gecko NZ Trust is a non-profit organisation established to support social and ecological outcomes in communities.

A second meeting of From the Deck in spring was well attended, with Gecko NZ Trust and local board members providing expert advice to the group.

“We are very lucky that Gecko Trust is providing lots of advice on how to start and progress and get the job done – they’re running workshops on noxious weed, rodent and pest control, and how to prepare the environment for native plants the hobson 14

Opposite: From the Deck members Dax Strydom (with son Kairan), Susan Buckland and Carol Davies, on a bridge over the Newmarket Stream where it runs through Ada St, Remuera. Below, old rubbish lies in the stream. This page, choking weeds bank the stream off Middleton Rd, overgrown steps on Council land, weeding on the go.

the hobson 15

the village

NEWMARKET

NEWMARKET PARK

HOBSON BAY

KEY Catchment 1,2 Stream Electoral Boundary REMUERA RD

to thrive,” says Buckland.

In addition to pest and weed control, a day is being set aside to clean rubbish out of the stream.

The upper tributary of Newmarket Stream has been a dumping ground left to fester for decades, says Rob Thomas. “It’s great to see neighbours putting up their hands to take action. With a large chunk of the stream in private ownership, it has taken great leadership by From the Deck to bring people together.”

While the stream does run predominantly through private land, From the Deck has raised concerns about the standard of Auckland Council’s plant maintenance in Newmarket Park. The Newmarket Stream gully was once known as Slaughter House Creek, and was until the 1920s used as a rubbish tip. While the sanctioned dumping of rubbish is long gone, the boardwalk over the stream and land that leads into the public park has been neglected, with the stream struggling with noxious weeds, says Buckland. Thomas has lodged the plant maintenance issue with Council.

From the Deck's map showing the stream as the thick blue line running along the ward boundary. Above, the stream as it emerges under Middleton Rd.

From the Deck has come a long way since their first meeting on the Hansen’s deck, and has a clear direction on what they want to achieve. The only issue now is having enough hands-on-deck to get all of the work done, says member Carole Davies, who has the stream running through her Swinton Close property.

“We are looking for community involvement and commitment – we’re working toward cleaning up the environment we live in, having a clean stream and a clean harbour, and for the initiative to work, we need all the neighbours along the stream to be engaged and supportive,” says Davies.

From the Deck would love to hear from anyone in the community keen to pitch in, and especially need neighbours in the areas off Middleton Rd, the bottom of Bassett Rd and Swinton Close. — Mary Fitzgerald p Interested in helping or finding out more? Contact From the Deck convenor Penny Hansen: pjhansen482gmail.com

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Lionel Hotene of Papatuanuku Kokiri Marae and the OBC’s Brian Hood, with catch offcuts to be put to good use. Photo: Erin Marmont/OBC.

KAI MOANA COOKS UP A PARTNERSHIP A year-long kai-ika partnership between Hobson Bay’s Outboard Boating Club (OBC) and Papatuanuku Kokiri Marae in Mangere has seen over six tonnes of fresh fish heads, frames and offal collected by the marae for use in their community healthy food initiative.

The OBC’s initial intention was to build a fish filleting station where members could gut and fillet their catch, disposing of the offcuts without polluting the water.

On the suggestion of recreational fishing group Legasea, the OBC installed freezers at the filleting station. Here fish heads, tails and offal are sorted for regular collection by the Papatuanuku Kokiri Marae, who collect the food and then distribute it on to members of the Mangere community. The marae has an award-winning programme designed to reduce the community’s reliance on processed and fast foods.

For the OBC, the relationship is satisfying, knowing that the club contributes to a healthy food programme, says OBC chief executive officer, Brian Hood.

“The kai-iki project has developed into more than an effective sustainability project, it is also helping us build relationships with, and supporting, wider communities,” says Hood. “It doesn’t matter who catches the fish or what part they prefer to eat, it is about having respect for the resource and nourishing many people.”

The offal is turned into a fertiliser for the marae’s organic vege gardens, says Papatuanuku gardener Lionel Hotene. “That is doing great things for the soil, but looking after our people is what the food initiative is really all about – the fish heads and frames all go to our community’s most vulnerable people.”

Sometimes the offcuts are fried, smoked or boiled. Broths and soups with fish as the base are also popular choices to feed large groups of people living in lodges around the area.“When I turn up late at night to drop the fish to lodges around Mangere, everyone comes out to see the food arrive, including the children. This is all about our people,” says Hotene. — Mary Fitzgerald p

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DIARY NOTE FOR RRA The Remuera Residents’ Association community meetings will not be held in December or January, and will resume on 22 February, 2018, at 7.30pm in the Remuera Library. The meetings provide the opportunity for residents to raise community concerns. p

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the village

LOCAL BOARD LOSES A MEMBER Dr Mark Davey was elected to the Waitematā Local Board in the 2016 elections on the Auckland Future ticket, but has now resigned after a year in the role. Davey, who has a PhD in public policy, says resigning has been bittersweet, but that his burgeoning business meant he could no longer serve on the board.

“I am the founder and CEO of Confitex – we produce a fashion line of incontinence underwear. The business has grown much more quickly than I’d anticipated and we’ve just won a contract to provide our products on cable television broadcaster, Home Shopping Network in the US, which is huge for us.

“It has been a privilege to represent and serve the communities of the local board, and I believe engagement in local body politics is essential to develop and maintain healthy communities”.

The resignation creates a vacancy on the board, which will be filled via a by-election. The by-election will be run concurrently, at a date to be announced, with by-elections created by the resignations of other Auckland local board members, Denise Lee and Simeon Brown, who won seats in parliament in September. p

LINKING UP THE HOBSON BAY PATHWAY A concept route and draft design are the first stages in a long-term plan to develop a pathway from Wilsons Beach, at the bottom of Victoria Ave, around the headland under Burwood Cres to the Shore Rd Reserve. Ōrākei Local Board member Kit Parkinson confirms a group of Remuera residents are interested in pushing the development forward.

The proposed pathway will fill the gap between the existing pathway from Palmer’s Garden Centre to Wilson’s Beach, connecting up with the Shore Rd path and then to the Bloodworth Park boardwalk. Parkinson says the pathway has been on the agenda and in discussion since 2013, and is generally accepted as a good thing to do. “It will enable access along the shoreline and open up a beautiful part of Hobson Bay,” says Parkinson.

Parkinson says the walkway proposal needs to be formulated, go to consultation and be budgeted for, and would be completed in five to seven years. — Mary Fitzgerald p

VALE ALAN PACK Parnell lost a community and business champion with the death last month of Alan Pack. Our deepest sympathies to Jen Pack, and Edward and Poppy, on the loss of their husband and father.

Waitematā ward councillor Mike Lee and Parnell Community Committee chair, Luke Niue, jointly penned this tribute.

“Alan sadly passed away recently and it has come as a great shock to all who knew him in Parnell. He loved this special place we call home.

He led a team of many that set out in a David vs Goliath fashion to get Auckland Transport to consider an underpass, versus a bulky bridge, to maintain the Parnell Rd link for the residents who live in Laxon Tce. Alan’s solution was both elegant in design approach, and likely much more economical to build. But AT were fixed in their view that the only solution was a ‘bridge to nowhere’ and no matter how much Alan battled City Hall, they would not budge.

Without doubt, a true gentleman who never forgot to acknowledge those that lent a helping hand. He was not

deterred by bully-boy tactics and was ever generous in trying to see the right thing done for all.

He was also a passionate advocate for the recent reinvigoration of the Parnell Business Association. This took a great deal of effort and wouldn’t have happened without his vision and strong strategic skills.

Alan leaves a perfectly formed, community-minded footprint that hopefully many will follow in the future. Rest in peace our Alan Pack, 1955-2017. Photo courtesy of the Pack family. dear friend.” p

COOL SOUNDS OF SUMMER Christmas shoppers will have a respite from carols when Remuera’s Village Green again fills with the sweet sounds of jazz this month. Organised by jazz aficionados, Poppies Bookstore owners Tara Jahn-Werner and Tony Moores, the series is “a unique opportunity to hear some of New Zealand’s finest jazz musicians from the University of Auckland collaborate with their students,” says Jahn-Werner.

Focusing around the classic jazz repertoire from the 1950s and 60s, each lunchtime programme will give up-and-coming musical talent the chance to perform with their mentors.

Like the highly successful gigs last year, these concerts will be a wonderful opportunity for students and tutors alike, says Ron Samsom, coordinator of the Jazz Studies programme at the School of Music.

“Students will be hand chosen, and based on their potential to engage with professionals. They’ll be responsible to select and rehearse the repertoire, promote and perform,” says Samsom.

“Our students already have had extensive training in performance techniques, musicianship, arranging, and improvisation and working in an ensemble. But performing weekly in the Green means they will also have a lot of fun along the way.”

New World Remuera, the Remuera Business Association and Megan Jaffe Real Estate have provided support for the series. p

the hobson 19

the village

Sarah Waller-Yates and Martin Keay on one of their regular maintenance visits.

Right, the White Garden, summer blooms.

IN NANCY’S GARDEN The Parnell Rose Gardens were busy with blooms and people at the end of November for the annual Festival of Roses, but the gardens, within Sir Dove Myer Robinson Park, continue to flourish right through the summer, drawing streams of visitors every day to enjoy the blossoms, fragrance, and the serenity.

“It’s a meditative space,” says Sarah Waller-Yates. “It’s a place of solace — we often see people here just sitting and taking it in.”

Waller-Yates is convenor of Heritage Roses Auckland branch, which supports the Nancy Steen Garden, a discrete space within the Rose Gardens. While the main garden as seen from Gladstone Rd is a mono-culture display of roses, the Nancy Steen on the seaward side of the park is planted in the English cottage-garden style — old-fashioned roses are framed by poppies, snapdragons and forget-me-nots, pretty perennials and self-seeding annuals.

There’s a lush mock orange tumbling over a fence in the White Garden, which leads off the riotously colourful main garden.

Remuera resident Waller-Yates is Steen’s grand-daughter and a passionate gardener, who’s volunteered her time and secateurs

nurturing and maintaining both the Nancy Steen Garden and the heritage roses at Highwic.

Nancy Steen, an accomplished artist, became a worldrecognised expert in heritage roses. Martin Keay was one of Nancy and husband David’s gardeners at their Upland Rd property, and maintains an active interest in, and encyclopaedic knowledge of, the Parnell garden. He’s hopeful that along with the recurrent interest in growing food, preserving and baking, that this style of gardening will make a comeback with younger generations.

“I’m sure it’s on the way. It’s unfashionable at the moment, but it’s going to come back,” he says, noting wryly that the “low maintenance” gardens popular now require just as much expended energy, and often, expense, to keep those white pavers clean and clipped planting in shape.

Waller-Yates points out that ornamental gardens are also great for bees — the rose gardens lie on a pollination route.

“I wish this garden had more imitators,” says Keay. “Even if people just added one little border of mixed colour, it would be wonderful. To keep a minimal garden clean is hard work! This kind of garden is much kinder and much better for the environment.”

the hobson 20

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the village

Like any volunteer society, Heritage Roses’ Nancy Steen committee needs to raise money to cover costs outside of a grant from the Waitematā Local Board, and the basic park maintenance work done by Council. They offer cuttings and propagation help to members and as a fundraiser — broken stems where people have snapped off a sample to take home break their hearts. And while they understand that the garden is a favourite place of reflection for many, scattering ashes is also discouraged. The roses don’t like it, and it’s messy for the volunteers to clean up.

While formal garden societies are becoming a relic of the past — Keay notes sadly that Auckland’s Camellia Society is no more — both Waller-Yates and Keay are hopeful they will keep attracting volunteers, as intensified living and shrinking backyards make public gardens more and more important.

The Steens gathered the heritage stock for their garden from all over New Zealand — historic cemeteries were an important source of roses brought out by early settlers. Waller-Yates has another local project needing attention which has echoes of her grandparents’ foraging.

“We’d love to start a community group to tend the planting in the churchyard at St Stephen’s Chapel in Judges Bay. It’s in a sad state now, but it has been beautiful before and could be again.”

— Kirsty Cameron p For further information about volunteering for working bees at the Nancy Steen Garden, or becoming part of a group to work at St Stephen’s Chapel in Parnell, contact Sarah Waller-Yates: sarah@waller-yates.nz

Meet Your Reps

C

ontinuing with our series profiling local board members, this month Mary Fitzgerald meets the Waitematā Local Board’s chair, Pippa Coom. The Grey Lynn resident has a background as a corporate lawyer, and has been engaged full-time as a volunteer in the community since 2009. Coom was named Sustainability Champion at the Sustainable Business Network awards in 2011 for her cycling advocacy and involvement with the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market, of which she also chaired the management committee for five years. Coom was first elected to the Waitematā Local Board in 2010, and was appointed chair last year.

Why did you stand for this position?

Prior to 2010, I had spent a couple of years as a community volunteer and felt the new Council governance structure was an exciting opportunity to get things done locally, as part of a progressive board. I stood with City Vision in the first super city election and have been elected to Waitematā Local Board ever since. It is a privilege to represent Auckland’s central suburbs and city centre. I served two terms as deputy chair before becoming the chair in 2016.

What board portfolios are you responsible for?

In addition to my responsibilities as chair, I’m the Transport portfolio lead and Natural Environment co-portfolio holder. I represent the board on the Ponsonby Business Association, and as alternate on the Newmarket Business Association.

remaining in your role?

The board has many things on the go, but there are several projects that we’ve been working on since term one that I would definitely like us to achieve: completion and upgrade of the Hobson Bay Walkway, a greenway route through the old Parnell rail tunnel, and opening of the community-led resource recovery centre at Western Springs. There are also exciting new projects that we are looking to achieve in partnership with the community, such as restoration of the Newmarket Stream.

Tell us something about yourself that will surprise your community.

I own a vintage car — a restored 1934 Austin 7 tourer.

If you were Prime Minister, what would you do to improve Auckland?

I’m really delighted we have a new Prime Minister who wants the government to be kind and empathetic. I think she has got off to a great start with policies that will improve Auckland. If I were PM, I’d support the same approach, such as investment in rail to the airport, action on climate change, building homes and funding services to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities.

What is your favourite escape in Auckland?

I love to recharge on a walk in the Waitakere Ranges

Since being elected what do you consider to be the top two things you have achieved in your role?

Everything is a team effort but I’m particularly proud of the restoration of the Ellen Melville Centre that has recently re-opened as a community hub, with the rooms named after significant women. Also the growing network of safe, attractive walking and cycle paths and connections.

Tell us something about your family.

We immigrated to NZ when I was 14 from the UK, so I only have a small family here. My brother, sister-in-law and nephew live on Waiheke, and my mum is a long-time resident of Ponsonby.

I live with my partner, Paul, in a house my dad bought over 30 years ago in Grey Lynn. Paul’s mother’s family are from Parnell — the Freda Kirkwood walkway on Hobson Bay is named after his grandmother, who was 104 when she passed away a few years ago.

What top four things do you intend to achieve in the time

pippa.coom@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz p the hobson 22

Top

5

Christmas Drinks Spots

The Hobson's Chantelle Murray shares her favourite spots around the area to enjoy some seasonal hospitality The old-world glamour of Pineapple on Parnell is certain to charm even the most Scrooge-like. While imagining yourself enjoying a white Christmas in London, you can relax by the opulent wooden fireplace and listen to live piano (on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9pm). Even though it is delightfully discreet, with only a pineapple door-knocker marking the entrance, the cocktails are divine. Our pick — the Dark Matter, concocted from pistachio cognac, coffee-flavoured Lillet and a dash of maple syrup. 207 Parnell Road, Parnell Sophisticated dining meets a relaxed beach feel at the new Mission Bay Pavilion. The bar and restaurant within the historic stone building has undergone a fit-out by designer Katie Lockhart; think dusky pink seats, turquoise tables and warm timber finishes. Whether you choose to dine al fresco in the courtyard or sit inside, you can overlook Auckland’s most iconic beach while browsing the extensive wine list. Our choice was a glass of the house fizz, the Mumm Brut Cordon Rouge Champagne. A wonderful refreshment on a warm summer’s evening. 44 Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay 46 & York is definitely a Parnell Place to Be, to get together with the lads or your girlfriends. The music is loud, the laughs even more so, and the hip outfit of red brick walls, green potted plants and a glass ceiling draws a happy crowd, including Christmas functions. The place is not large but it has great indoor-outdoor flow, and it offers a nice view of Fraser Park and the city. There’s beer on tap, an ample selection of wines and some pretty tasty cocktails, too, like the bittersweet lemon and honey-infused, ginbased About Thyme. 46 Parnell Road, Parnell Brothers Beer is a much more relaxed Kiwi bar, perfect for a casual brew and perhaps even a little gift exchange. The space was previously a gin distillery, and still retains some of the old pipes on the high ceilings, and its warehouse feel. Wooden beer barrels are stacked along one wall, high tables and chairs around the perimeter, and a casual lounge setting on a retro rug sits merrily in the middle. There are 18 craft beers on tap to choose from — our choice was the hoppy Piha Beer Locals Lager, which is perfectly paired with a bite from the burger menu. At Orakei Bay Village, 228 Orakei Rd, Remuera Artusi Cucina has perfectly filled Remuera’s need for a relaxedyet-sophisticated, sit-down bar. Whether you’re having drinks or dinner, there’s a lovely semi-enclosed courtyard to enjoy, decorated with fairy lights. The restaurant’s interior is filled with funky music, candles and a large mural with quirky drawings of cats, pineapples and pencils. The drinks menu features wines from Italy and France, but the iced Italian liqueurs take the cake. We sampled the Nocello liqueur, which is laced with warm hazelnut and walnut flavours, and goes perfectly with Artusi’s affogato for dessert. Within the Village Green, 1/415 Remuera Rd, Remuera

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the councillors

DESLEY SIMPSON

L

ast month saw me “celebrate” 10 years in local government.

Three years as chair of the Hobson Community Board under Mayor John Banks (the former Auckland City Council), six years as chair of the Ōrākei Local Board (new Auckland Council) under Mayor Len Brown, and more recently, one year as an Auckland Councillor under Mayor Phil Goff. They say “time flies when you’re having fun” and whilst I couldn’t say I’ve found every day “fun”, I can say, with honesty, that I absolutely enjoy what I do and remain strongly committed to Auckland and the communities and residents I represent.

Reflecting over the last year, I have been fortunate to have been given responsibility in a number of areas allowing me potentially greater opportunity to influence change. The city’s finances are without doubt one of our biggest challenges. The mayor appointed me deputy chair of the Finance and Performance Committee, and a lead for the Value for Money and the Quality Advice Programme.

Both of those appointments have without doubt been challenging.

The wheels within Council grind slowly but we have seen both good news and bad news as far as results go.

Let’s start with the good, and how the good has directly benefited the Ōrākei ward. The first six years of Auckland Council saw unprecedented rates rises for our part of Auckland and a drop in many services (not the good). However, in this year’s Annual Plan, the ratepayers from Ōrākei have had the lowest rates rise since the super city was formed. For the first time, we have also had a 2.5 per cent rise in the Uniform Annual General Charge (UAGC). Most people think a rise in anything from the Council isn’t positive, but in this case it is. The higher the UAGC, the less dependent the rates bill is on the capital value (CV) of a property, so it’s good for anyone paying rates on a property valued at more than the regional median (which is most of the Ōrākei ward).

Regionally, councillors have allocated an additional $200m for infrastructure investment (which we desperately need) into this year’s budget, making our total annual investment in excess of $2 billion. This is the highest annual investment in this area since amalgamation. Locally, I’ve been able to support our Ōrākei Local Board, by increasing their budget by millions to assist the delivery of more projects within our ward. Sport has benefited, with additional funding for community use at the ASB Stadium in Kohimarama, funding for the Auckland Netball Centre in St Johns, and the realisation of years of work with the ground-breaking at the Hyundai Marine Sports Centre. We have delivered designated funding for improvements on Mt Hobson (Ōhinerau) via the Tūpuna Maunga Authority and achieved the long-awaited goahead for tangible flooding mitigation improvements on Tamaki Drive.

As chair of the Quality Advice Programme, we have made good progress setting higher expectations for staff to deliver reports to elected members that are accurate, concise, yet containing all the information required – key for elected members to make good decisions.

Behind the scenes I have also been directly involved in a large body of work around whether ratepayers actually get value for money from what Council does. This has involved staff and

industry experts concentrating in the first instance, on four key Council areas; Three Waters, Domestic Waste, Communications and Engagement, and Investment Attraction and Global Partnerships. Indications are that savings could be at least $337m just in these areas alone.

But it hasn’t been all good news.

For three years in a row, the wider Council group has blown the staff budget by tens of millions, we are still way behind in delivering below-the-ground infrastructure to service today, let alone tomorrow, and road congestion continues to cost our city billions of dollars each year in lost productivity. The maintenance of parks has failed in our ward in the first three months of operation this financial year. A regional audit of 928 contract components showed 254 failures, mainly in the mowing of parks in the last week of October. This is really disappointing, as from a governance perspective, we changed the model so that maintenance would be delivered as required, and not just because it was three or four weeks since works were carried out. We have been let down by the management associated with this. From November 4, all parks contractors are on a weekly monitoring update to try and mitigate this failure.

In conclusion, I’ve had a few wins but there is definitely still much to do. The new government will indeed have an impact on Auckland and it will be interesting to see how both Phils (Mayor Phil Goff and the new Minister of Housing, Urban Development and Transport, Phil Twyford) plan together. Remember, the mayor always needs 10 Councillors to support him on any vote.

All of which will make my second year supporting you as your Auckland Councillor very interesting. However, I’m up for the challenge and thank you for your support. p Desley Simpson is the Councillor for Auckland representing the Ōrākei ward

MIKE LEE

F

irst of all, I warmly congratulate our new Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her coalition government. Jacinda’s extraordinary personal performance as leader of the Labour Party certainly not only saved Labour from another, possibly fatal, defeat; it propelled it to what would have seemed only a few weeks ago, a most unlikely victory. But, it must be remembered, a victory only with the help of Winston Peters and NZ First. People were in the mood for a change, but two fundamental errors seem to have cost Labour momentum and votes – especially in Auckland. The sudden announcement of a capital gains tax, as well-discussed, was ruthlessly exploited by National. It associated the newly invigorated Labour with the losing performance of the party under Phil Goff in 2011, and David Cunliffe in 2014.

The capital gains policy, along with the equally unpopular rolling back of superannuation, was dumped by Andrew Little, but Labour’s Treasury-friendly old guard evidently persuaded the new leader to take it up again. Secondly, the light rail (trams)-tothe-airport policy was widely seen by Aucklanders as, well, flakey

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— even among staunch Labour voters.

These two policies especially I believe, served to turn off just too many swing voters, which is why Mr Peters’ dramatic decision was so critical. The light rail policy too came from Jacinda’s old mentor Phil Goff, but it originated from the immensely powerful, but widely-distrusted, Auckland Transport. It is supported by a small claque of AT’s social media assets and some elements in the Greens, but not much anyone else.

Everyone can make mistakes. The mark of distinction is whether one learns from them. There is evidence that our new Prime Minister is a quick learner and therefore will be a stronger leader for that. The ‘captain’s call’ on capital gains for instance was soon reversed and I am hoping common sense will eventually prevail over the trams-to the-airport policy.

A rail link to the airport using fast electric trains is what Mr Peters says he prefers, and without doubt the overwhelming majority of Aucklanders, whatever party they voted for, would agree with him.

The new coalition government is faced with many challenges; housing, health and infrastructure. Turning off the tap of record immigration is a very sensible first step. One challenge was never discussed in the election campaign, but is a legacy of the former government that the new government will sooner or later have to confront — the ‘super city’. This, it must be remembered, was Rodney Hide’s baby. In fact, the great amalgamation was one of the very first things the National-led government did.

It was created in great haste and now as the saying goes, it is being regretted at leisure by an increasing number of Auckland ratepayers. Recent disclosures about unbudgeted expenditure blowouts on staff pay amounting to $42m, and the $45.6m per year on communications, unhappily coincide with widespread public complaints about the Council’s failure to manage basic services such as mowing grass in suburban parks.

The last time Auckland Council surveyed the public, in 2015, only 15 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the Council’s performance and only 17 per cent said they could trust the Council to make the right decision. One year into the Goff mayoralty it would be surprising if the situation is any better. In fact, given the run of bad publicity it may well be worse, if that’s possible. As noted, one of the most unpopular organisations in the super city is AT. Despite being given lavish amounts of ratepayers’ money over the last seven years, too many Aucklanders are still complaining that their bus does not turn up on time, or doesn’t turn up at all. AT staff numbers have grown from around 1000 at the founding of the super city to around 1600. Top-heavy, top-down, with its directors, the Council and the public fed carefully managed and “processed” information, AT has been allowed to become increasingly unaccountable.

The blatantly skewed “business case” supporting light rail and advanced buses to the airport, rather than a relatively short heavy rail link, is a case in point. There is, it must be said, a rather bad culture within AT and what happens internally in an organisation tends to be reflected externally. Currently there is growing frustration across my ward at AT’s interpretation of what “public consultation” means. The latest cause for public anger is the imposition of cycleways from Westmere to Parnell. AT needs a culture change but so does the parent Auckland Council. Sooner or later the new coalition government is going to have to deal with both. p Mike Lee is the Councillor for Auckland representing the Waitematā and Gulf ward

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the politicians

DAVID SEYMOUR

A

PAUL GOLDSMITH

round the traps discussing our new prime minister, I get a good Kiwi sense of “give ‘er a fair go”. In that spirit, here are a few thoughts about how we should assess the new government.

Spending restraint. The government of the last nine years inherited the so-called “decade of deficits” from Helen Clark. Then the GFC and the Canterbury earthquakes made things really bad.

New Zealand returned to surplus after only eight years, and the new government inherits $18 billion of surpluses in the four years to come. What will they do with it?

To a large extent, the three governing parties have already spent this money through their own promises and the need to buy each other off. The care workers’ pay settlement will set off a cascade of settlements through the public sector — teachers are already asking for 14 per cent.

Government spending costs more than the immediate draw on taxpayers’ wallets. When government sucks up resources, it pushes up interest rates, including mortgage rates. It sucks momentum out of the economy and leads to job losses and recession. At least, that’s what happened last time we had this constellation of governing parties. In a high tax-paying electorate like Epsom, we should hope finance minister Grant Robertson is thinking about all the effects of government spending.

In Auckland, some of the wage increases will be necessary, due to the housing costs built into public sector salaries. Here in the Epsom electorate, schools feel the pressure when hiring staff. It is challenging for a new teacher on a salary of $48,000 to live near enough to our schools. The short-term fix is to pay more, but the government will ultimately be judged on housing supply.

On this, the new government looks more promising. Housing minister Phil Twyford recognises that there is a supply problem.

He recognises that planning constraints on the city expanding have squeezed the supply of land, and therefore new homes.

I believe that the previous government lost power in essence because it failed to confront these facts, let alone take decisive action on them. We should judge this government on whether it is prepared to deal to the red tape and regulation, and the underfunding of infrastructure.

Finally, our global relations are critical. Prime ministers Clark, Key and English were all internationalists. They understood that a small nation must do business well beyond its borders, and attract immigrants with the skills to drive a small, diversified economy.

The early signs are not promising. Chris Hipkins used parliamentary privilege to undermine the Australian Government by outing Barnaby Joyce as a Kiwi. Foreign Minister Winston Peters appears to have an unconventional relationship with the Russians and has alienated the European Union, a much more important trading partner, in the process. The new government is now umming and ahhing about the TPP, a project started under Helen Clark and considered essential to our prosperity by most trade experts.

Suffice to say, I’m proud to be representing Epsom, and I’ll be standing up for our community.

David Seymour is the MP for Epsom.

I

was planning to write this post-election article for The Hobson from inside a reinvigorated National-led government, working with our fine leader Bill English to build on the success this country has enjoyed these past few years, continuing to grow the economy and address long-standing social issues.

But it hasn’t worked out that way. Instead, I’m preparing to travel to Wellington for the opening of parliament as a member of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.

They say there are stages one goes through, when something bad happens. I think I’m still in the “rage” phase. Everything’s irritating me – the long, wild grass that has taken over Mt Hobson since the cattle have been pointlessly removed; the endless announcements by new government ministers of new reviews into old problems; the incessant rain.

I’m sure it will pass.

There are some upsides to Opposition. First, I will spend more time at home, here in the Epsom electorate, as I’ll no longer need to spend Mondays in Wellington for Cabinet meetings. It’s good for family life, and it allows me to devote more time to local issues, continuing to be based in our office at 107 Great South Rd, near the Market Rd shops. My door remains open for locals to share their views.

Second, while the primary role of Opposition MPs is to hold the government of the day to account, it’s also a time to think and to listen. I’ll be using these years in the wilderness to prepare for our return to government.

The core challenge is timeless, but needs to be re-thought regularly – how to maintain and improve our international competitiveness. Some members of the new government appear to take our relative prosperity for granted. Everyone, it is asserted, deserves higher incomes. Those higher incomes, of course, first have to be generated in a competitive world.

Second, the long-term challenge of helping people off welfare and into work has to remain a focus. In government we made real progress, such as the huge drop in the numbers of children being raised in benefit-dependent households. I fear many of these gains will be lost if the Greens’ belief in “no-questions-asked, long-asyou-like” welfare predominates.

Thirdly, in Opposition we should think creatively about how we can do more to help those outside the property markets to feel they can gain a stake in society, particularly the younger generation. Historically low interest rates have led to asset-price inflation all over the world – increasing wealth inequality (as opposed to income inequality). We’re dealing with massive international forces, exacerbated by self-defeating local factors which artificially raise the cost of new housing. We’ll support proposals from the new government that will help, oppose those that won’t, and take the time to develop fresh thinking.

I’ve been given the Opposition spokesperson roles for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment and Arts, Culture and Heritage.

I’ll write more about those topics in future columns. There are many conversations to be had over the coming months and years.

I do look forward to hearing your views.

Paul Goldsmith is a National list MP, based in Epsom.

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the plan

Never a Shore Thing Hamish Firth looks back at the formation of the parkland along Shore Rd, Remuera

S

hore Rd Reserve and its neighbouring green of Thomas Bloodworth Park, located on the edge of Hobson Bay, are parks many of us take for granted. It is the place we walk our dog, go for our daily run or play our weekend game of cricket or rugby; it forms part of the routine of many in the Parnell and Remuera area. And many may have thought it has always existed.

So let’s dispel the first myth — there was no park before 1974, and Shore Rd ran along the edge of the foreshore. And it was a prolonged battle to actually get the fields built.

Plans first emerged in the mid-1950s to reclaim land in Hobson Bay as part of a relocation for the University of Auckland, but were cancelled in 1958 due to a lack of funds, according to the New Zealand Herald. Proposals re-emerged in 1966 for university accommodation, sports fields, and recreational and commercial activities. By the early 1970s, those plans had morphed into the “Hobson Bay Marine Park”(see illustration, over) a scheme that made use of the spoils from the excavation of the Civic car park in the CBD. The Auckland Harbour Board made plans to reclaim around 120 acres (49ha) of land, with ambitious ideas of a reclaimed island, a rowing course, museum, cafes, aquarium and artificial beaches. Chairman of the board, R.W. Parr, asserted that the proposal could become “Auckland’s Hyde Park” and a major tourist asset. Of course, these plans also included a massive south-eastern motorway to tear down the middle of the bay, plans that did not truly go away until they began the end of John Banks’ political career in 2004.

It did not take long for opposition to the Marine Park to rise up.

The Hobson Action Group, representing home owners in Parnell and Remuera, was formed, closely monitoring all aspects of the plan. They fought against any changes to rezoning in the bay, arguing it had special character and amenity. This stance clashed with Auckland City Council’s view that the bay was already compromised by the large sewer running across it (which was not removed until 2010). They argued that any negative environmental effects on the bay would be offset by the public benefit of more open space and parks. The council did not seem to anticipate much opposition to the scheme in the long run, so their plans in 1973 were scarce on concrete detail, leading to some concerns about the potential cost and impact.

By 1974 there were calls by the Commission for the Environment to postpone the scheme until the environmental impact of the reclamation had been properly assessed. However, the spoil of the Civic carpark had to go somewhere and the plans were in place, so in the end the project went ahead, not as a marine park but as open space.

Fast forward to the present day and we have the modestlysized Shore Road Reserve, significantly watered down from the grand ambition of its earlier iterations. Since 1996 the park has been the home of New Zealand’s oldest cricket club, the Parnell Cricket Club. Upgrades in 2015 provided a five-strip wicket block and new practice facilities. Rugby is played on the turf over the winter, and in recent times, urban polo has also made an appearance at the eastern end of the reserve, on grass that will

the hobson 30

A bird's eye view of Shore Rd (foreground), Parnell and Hobson Bay, photographed in January 1961 for the Auckland City Council. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, ID 580-11460

be developed into another rugby turf and more parking, under the Ōrākei Local Board’s Shore Road Reserve and Bloodworth Park Masterplan.

The park now may seem like another innocuous suburban park, but a look back at its history reveals a far more interesting story. An eagle eye will notice around the waters’ edge the brick remains of the demolition and excavation that created the Civic carpark, which sits beneath Aotea Square. And I bet today if we

tried to extend the park into Hobson Bay, we would not even get to a preliminary plan such is the opposition to reclamation and the effects it can have on the environment.

And to finish – who is Thomas Bloodworth, the name that adorns the front corner of the park, at the roundabout on Shore Rd? Te Ara, the encyclopaedia of New Zealand, tells that he emigrated here from England in 1908, and worked on the construction of the Grafton Bridge, which at the time was the

the hobson 31

the plan

largest single span concrete bridge in the world. He was a lively member of the Socialist Party of NZ and a strong unionist.

Bloodworth established himself in local affairs, elected as a city councillor in 1919 and holding many political, civic and local body

roles until he retired from public life in 1968. He was a lifelong teetotaller and abhorred empty rhetoric. He worked tirelessly to improve Auckland civic institutions for well over half a century, deserving at the very least for a park to be named after him. p

Shore Rd and Hobson Bay as it was in the early 1900s, photographed for a postcard series by William Archer Price (1866-1948).

From the collection of postcard negatives, the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington.

Ref:1/2-001622-G

Grand designs —1973's Hobson Bay Marine Park Scheme Plan - Arney Road (plan by Kingston, Reynolds, Thom & Allardice for Auckland Harbour Board), ACC 017/21g, Auckland Council Archives

the hobson 32

ses means mortgage payments and rents are higher. Household budgets feel the pressure.

gh cost of housing is widening the gap between people who own houses, and who don’t. e who own houses have increasing wealth as house and land values increase. People who re paying more in rent and their income is not keeping pace. It is getting harder for renters to or a deposit on their house. High rents are a cause of deprivation for low-income families.

ousing shortage is placing costs on taxpayers as well. The high cost of private housing means vernment spends more on social housing through the Income Related Rent subsidy, and more support in Accomodation Supplements.

Public Meeting:

kland Houses: Out of Reach

The Cost of Housing Support

Monday 11 December, 10:00 - 11:30am Somervell Presbyterian Church 497 Remuera Road, Remuera

Meet over morning tea with Epsom MP David Seymour, and Retirement Commissioner Diane Maxwell.

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Diane will discuss retirement income and the future of superannuation.

Then David will give ce of a median house in Auckland was TheACT historic and projected cost, Logo Colour mark upin millions, of es the median yearly Accomodation Supplements, (blue) and Income anhousehold updateincome on local issues and looks forward to 6. The cost of housing relative to income Related Rents (yellow). These costs are rising PMS Colours hearing your feedback. g in the rest of New Zealand as well. as housing becomes more unaffordable.

Registration is essential.

Resource Management Act: PMS 287 C

PMS 7404 C

Please 09 522 7464, orcities email elieves that the major cause ofcall the housing shortage in our is the RMA. Council plans olicies under the RMA determine whether enough houses will be built. mpepsom@parliament.govt.nz

CMYK Colours It requires councils to provide ct gives too much power to councils to restrict development. vironmental protection and conduct consultations, but doesn't require them to consider ty rights of owners, economic growth or provide for an adequate supply of housing.

David Seymour C=0 M=9 Y=79 K=0

umber of new dwellings consented nationwide each year is still well below its peak of 39,000 C=100 M=68 Y=0 K=12 4. The Government's Housing Accords and Special Housing areas have been a band-aid on a n planning system but they do not address the fact that the RMA in its current form is not fit pose to deal with a major housing shortage in our main urban centres.

MP for Epsom

RGB Colours

sed by David Seymour,Authorised by David Seymour 27 Gillies Ave, Newmarket. ent Buildings, Wellington

R=255 G=218 B=55 R=0 G=64 B=139

Black & White K=30 K=100

PAUL GOLDSMITH

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NATIONAL LIST MP BASED IN EPSOM A

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the second act

The Best Christmas List, Ever

F

or this issue I really wanted to write about my favourite subject, feminism after 50. But as it’s the Christmas issue, I felt a moral obligation to join in the festivities, so to speak, with something a little more cheery. And as I’d recently become aware that some are still pondering that age-old pearler of “what do women want”, I decided to provide a handy guide of what women really want . . . for Christmas.

A pragmatist at heart, I have long been an advocate of giving experiences rather than things, especially to women in their second act, and admit to feeling a little smug that these “ideas for her” take the notion of gifts that keep giving to a whole new level. So, here’s my wish-list on behalf of all women.

My family shouldn’t find this hard. They know I prefer experiences rather than things, so from them I am hoping to get: 1. My daughter off my case.

2. My son off the screens.

3. My husband to stay fully tuned in when I’m talking about myself.

Look, I’d even settle for a back massage from a family member that is longer than five minutes. My needs are simple.

What to buy female friends my age? Easy: 1. Private tuition from a millennial on all dormant features on an iPhone.

2. Free rein in Unity Books on High St – like a sort of fantasy grocery grab competition prize for the thinking woman.

3. And talking about older woman fantasies, how about a girls’ glamping trip to Africa, with Ewan McGregor and Robert Downey Jr in a neighbouring tent, and whom happen to find us fascinating? (Dissolved into a middle-aged woman’s dream sequence there).

4. If that’s too pricey, a few friends could club together and agree to stop posting curated images of the picture-perfect family on social media, or even just arranging a ban on tedious vanity posts about children’s achievements? Easy to do and always appreciated!

I look forward to corporate gifts every year mainly because they are so handy for re-gifting. I get too many bottles of wine, so how about getting women in the paid workforce equal pay? Again, simple, but a gift that will be talked about for years. Or, you could give women the same opportunities as men to reach upper management and board level in any organisation, without suffering the indignity of being told it’s a meritocracy and finding that men invariably get the job instead? Just a thought.

If you run out of ideas, you could pick one or two from my ‘Starter for 10’ list which are real crowd pleasers for women.

1. Eliminate the sexual double standard.

2. For women not to be victims of domestic violence.

3. For people to realise this also happens in high socio-economic areas such as The Hobson’s reader catchment.

4. To see Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby share a jail cell for life.

5. To interview Ivanka Trump about how her father boasting about “pussy grabbing” is not an admission of sexual assault.

6. And then witness the impeachment of Donald Trump.

7. For women around the world to be able to wear what they want, where they want, without fear or judgment.

8. For Helen Clark to be called back to become Secretary General of the UN. 9. For women to have a healthier relationship with food.

10. And to know generally, that they are enough.

Every year there’s always a hot trend like beach radios or Havianas, but what is really popular right now for women is ensuring that the Black Ferns are paid a fair amount for their awesome efforts.

And of course, if all else fails, women would happily accept fun little stocking fillers like abolishing GST on sanitary protection and ensuring young women in Auckland (and the world) never have to miss school because they can’t afford to buy tampons and pads.

That’s the kind of thing women want. Pretty obvious really.

— Sandy Burgham

ASC Salon 209 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland

+64 9 336 1239 asc@ascsalon.com ascsalon.com

We are excited to announce the latest addition to our Stylist team - Paul Dean.

An accomplished senior stylist with over 25 years of industry experience here in New-Zealand. With numerous industry awards under his belt, Paul first achieved award status when he won Northern Hairdresser of the Year at the age of 23.

At the time, he was the youngest entrant to have ever placed! His career has gone from strength to strength since. He has been instrumental in designing and leading training programmes at NZ’s leading hairdressing academy here in Auckland and is a master educator in his field. We are super excited that Paul has chosen to join our team as our Premium Stylist and he brings with him a huge wealth of experience and expertise. To make a booking with Paul, simply call, email or book online through either our website or Facebook page. facebook.com/ascsalon / instagram.com/ascsalon

the suburbanist

A Smart & App-y Christmas

Y

ou’ve just forked out the equivalent of a Christmas holiday on an iPhone X, and failed miserably trying to justify it to your significant other — “But the screen goes right to the edge!” So, you’re looking for a way to compensate, or at least, deflect. Have no fear guilty reader, have I got a Christmas list for you!

What he/she needs is something unusual from the rapidly growing world of the Internet of Things. You know, the connection of devices to the internet. Bathroom scales, kitchen appliances, thermometers, heart monitors.

How about the Quirky Egg Minder, an egg tray for your fridge that notifies you when you’re about to run out? No? The Hidrate Spark is a connected water bottle that glows when you’ve reached your daily goal. If water is your thing, the Brita Infinity is a water jug that detects when the filter is nearly out and orders another one for you from Amazon (hopefully you can intervene if necessary, so your kitchen doesn’t end up like a scene from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice).

The Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad measures weight, nappy changes and food intake (umm . . . how?) and sends it to an app on your phone. While we’re on hygiene, there are now plenty of smart toothbrushes, but only one – the Onvi Prophix – that has a built-in camera to take photos and live video of the inside of your mouth (umm . . . why?). The Kérastase Hair Coach is a smart hairbrush that uses a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a microphone to listen to your hair to see if you're brushing it wrong. Unless of course you are looking at your Griffin Mirror, which can display notifications from your phone, the weather, and, probably your toothbrush.

If it’s the kitchen where you like to connect, you’re going to need a CHiP, a cookie oven that uses ‘cookie pods’ that come with preloaded cookie dough – which you can buy on subscription. If you’re worried that you’re gorging yourself on too many cookies, try eating them with a HAPIfork, which is a Bluetooth-enabled smart fork that vibrates when you’re eating too fast.

Perhaps you’ve been lying awake at night wondering how to send images to your friends, printed on a piece of toast? Worry no more, get a Toasteroid and start sending toast messages — known as ‘toastages’ — to your BFF. Of course, they’ll need one too, to download (or is it pop up?) your friendly crumbs. Too much? Then just get a Griffin Toaster, that sends you a message when your toast is done; so when you’re doing up your seatbelt, the ding will tell you to unclip, and go back for your breakfast. When you finally get back in your car, dripping jam, instead of smearing it on the garage door remote, you can mess up your phone by using the Garageio app; because it’s so much easier to open your phone to open your garage than use the purpose-built remote that came with the garage door. While you’re sitting there. Covered in toast crumbs.

You get to work, go out for a coffee, it starts to rain but you can’t remember where you left your Oombrella. Don’t worry, it’s sent its last known location to your phone, along with a weather report (newsflash: it’s raining). Better not wear jandals – unless they’re ‘smart thongs’ from Hari Mari, that tell you nothing except where you can get a discount on more useless things to buy. But if it’s a wearable you’re after, then look no further than the Belty Good Vibes, a smart belt that, for a mere $500, will vibrate when you sit too long, if you don’t stand up straight or drink enough water (again, umm . . . how?).

Because how will we ever improve ourselves if we don’t have our belts, hairbrushes, toothbrushes or forks to monitor our every move, and then criticise them? — Tommy Honey

the investment

Tech Talk

T

he seemingly never-ending talk around Amazon’s coming expansion into Australia — and therefore into New Zealand too — did spark my thinking regarding the company’s approach to business.

Back in 1995, Amazon was only an online book store, shipping books direct to homes all around the world. It soon evolved to providing e-books, via its well-known Kindle devices, effectively replacing the paper and printing process in traditional book publishing. And from there it has developed into a fully-fledged consumer fulfilment company which supplies “everything to everyone”. Amazon really is a technology company skilled at applying technological solutions to consumer purchasing requirements.

Its use of robotics and massive delivery efficiencies stand to have a very real impact when it finally reaches our shores.

In the mainland US, when one orders something online, you can expect it to be delivered within two hours. Once established in Australia, Amazon will be able to provide its NZ customers overnight delivery — a substantial shift, and one which means local NZ and Australian businesses will have to change the way they think and operate. Amazon’s arrival down under, by way of actual warehousing, will likely have a significant effect on our retail sector and existing participants must take note and be aware. The same applies of course when these changes occur across other industries.

Establishing key distribution centres in gateway cities (the likes of Sydney, Auckland and Melbourne) is a well-defined strategy for businesses like Goodman Property NZ. Its commitment to effectively only owning industrial properties in Auckland is a direct outcome of this strategy, positioning assets in the main urban centres, where they’re most likely to see growth.

Digital transformation is often touted as just another industry buzz phrase, but it cannot be underestimated in terms of its potential for creating efficiencies. Heartland Bank, one of the real success stories of NZ’s domestic financial sector, describes its digital strategy simply as a “no branch, no queues” model. It can only be implemented with a digital customer interface that enables Heartland to approve loans online through platforms such as the iPhone. This digital point of difference is a key driver of shareholder

value, and has undoubtedly helped differentiate Heartland from some of its larger, less agile competitors.

Tourism Holdings (THL), another long-established innovative New Zealand company, has recently highlighted the benefits of the vehicle tracking devices it deploys in its campervans and other rental vehicles. Customers benefit from all the standard features of GPS and SatNav, but are also able to receive weather warnings and updates, or “no go” notifications regarding off-road destinations.

This technology has resulted in a notable decline in maintenance costs, as well as a raft of obvious safety benefits for travellers.

THL knows that the biggest barrier for clients is often the thought of having to drive a large vehicle around a foreign country. This could potentially be eliminated with autonomous vehicles — a technological change that it sees as being hugely advantageous to its business model, and one they’re open to adopting.

Although the NZX50 Index seemingly reaches record highs on a daily basis, growth prospects remain unclear for many of its listed companies. We should be looking at technological themes such as those outlined here for growth opportunities. It’s increasingly difficult to identify what one would describe as true growth stocks in sharemarkets, particularly here in NZ. And just to be clear, a “growth stock” is defined as a share in a company whose profits are expected to grow at an above-average rate relative to the profits of other companies in the market, and they don’t often pay dividends There are undoubtedly some key thematic drivers which, although not unique to the New Zealand economy, are helping to provide innovative NZ companies with the opportunity to drive growth and generate outperformance as the environment changes. The rate of technological change we’re experiencing across various business sectors can be difficult to keep up with — but it’s those businesses that embrace and adapt to these advances which are undoubtedly the most likely to succeed and grow. — Warren Couillault Disclaimer: This article does not consider the objectives or situation of any particular investor. It should not be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any security or product, or to engage in or refrain from engaging in any transaction.

Be prepared and plan ahead. It is a practical and thoughtful thing to do.

Phone us, we are happy to discuss your options.

Gather, Remember, Celebrate 582 Remuera Road. Remuera. Auckland 1050 (09) 520 3119 | staff@sibuns.co.nz www.sibuns.co.nz SB_971/B

the teacher

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus*

I

imagine many of you will be in the middle of exams now, and life at home is a bit stressful! As another year draws to an end, make sure — no matter what age or class your children are in — that their year is completed with any issues sorted out, so they are ready to start the new year in a new class, with a new teacher.

I have enjoyed a bit of travelling since my last article and as a teacher, I always seem to notice schools wherever I may be.

This time it was as I drove through the Scottish Highlands and the countryside of England. There’s something about a school that instantly attracts my attention, no matter where I may be.

I am always drawn to the school motto, usually written under the name of the school, at the main entrance. Each school has a motto that reflects the culture of itself, and is usually a strong statement reminding its students that that is what it stands for and what they should be very proud of.

Can you remember your school motto? I attended Stratford Technical High School in Taranaki and my school motto was “Palme non sine pulvere” which translated, means “No reward without toil”. I respected and took that seriously throughout my school years, and without sounding boring, it has held me in good stead as I have progressed through my career. I have learnt that all rewards only came after a lot of hard work, sacrifice and toil and that often, depending on how much effort I had put in, some of the rewards were sweet and well worth the effort. How many successful people do you know who have not had to work hard and sacrifice much? It is true that Rome was not built in a day.

If I ask any student still in school if they want to have a successful, happy life, the answer is always “yes”. Some know at a very young age what they aspire to, and it is often a career based on their parents’ careers and successes. Then there are those who have no idea what they want to be when they leave school, and that is perfectly normal. Who knows what will be available or on offer when it is their turn to make work-life choices?

What we do know is that they will need to be well-prepared for a rapidly changing and exciting world, and will have to find their place in it armed with the skills we, as teachers and parents, have given them. Many of these skills will need to be personal skills; how to get along with people (empathetic), being resilient, persistent, agile, and having self-belief and confidence to be who they are. People who are confident, thoughtful and happy are endearing and fun to be around.

As I have said before, education is not only about academics.

Students need to learn about persistence and resilience, and learn to have the fortitude to keep going when the times get tough. It is far too easy to choose the option of opting out when times get tough. Giving up is such an easy option. I see it far too often — parents doing too much for their children, robbing them of the opportunity to learn these valuable skills. Learning to take responsibility from an early age is essential.

I still enjoy going into school assemblies and look forward to schools’ end of year Christmas carol services and prizegivings, where they recite the school motto and sing the school song along with many other lovely traditions. Instilling these old traditions certainly has a place in children’s education, offering something to aspire to, and in later years will provide wonderful memories of the best days of their lives. Sometimes generation upon generation will attend the same school, giving families the opportunity to share the same values they were educated in, along with the values taught and learnt at home.

Enjoy the summer break with your families — I always encourage particularly young children to continue to read and to play games that require some mathematical reasoning. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and happy 2018.

— Judi Paape * Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon: the motto of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

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the doctor

A Complex Concern

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omen seek help at our practice for a range of issues, which vary in complexity. Endometriosis is an enigmatic and surprisingly common complaint, affecting around 10 per cent of premenopausal women. It is complex to treat and there is often a delay on diagnosis, since other problems that can cause similar symptoms are mistakenly intially treated instead.

Endometriosis is a condition where the endometrium, or lining of the uterus, also exists in other places, mainly in the pelvis. These bits of endometrium are responsive to a woman’s hormones, and can bleed and scar and cause pain. Endometriosis can also cause pain at all times of the woman’s cycle and as well as the pain, symptoms such as bladder problems, tiredness and infertility can lead to a suspected diagnosis.

There are many theories as to how “endo” happens but it is still not well understood. One explanation is that since we all develop from two cells, that some cells outside a woman’s womb can turn into womb-lining cells, perhaps due to hormones or toxins or family history and genetics.

Doctors and women need to be suspicious with tummy and pelvic pain symptoms, and with repeat diagnoses of pelvicinfection, urinary tract infections, irritable bowel syndrome, “gluten allergy” and constipation. This does not mean that everyone should have surgery, though surgery is the gold-standard treatment for endometriosis.

A pelvic ultrasound can be helpful to see if there are any endometriotic or “chocolate cysts” in the ovaries, so-called as the blood that forms inside the ovary becomes thick and looks like liquid chocolate when surgically excised.

Surgery is the only highly reliable way to diagnose or exclude endometriosis. This involves keyhole surgery — laparoscopy — under a general anaesthetic, where a telescope is inserted through the belly button to view the pelvis and abdomen. If it’s found (it shows up as identifiable spots or cysts), then most of the time

endometriosis can be treated the same day by excising it. In cases of recurrent endometriosis, or if the patient has completed childbearing, a hysterectomy may be a consideration.

Like many medical problems, having knowledge helps to conquer fear. Making loved ones aware of how you are feeling is important, as they are far more likely to show empathy and understanding if they know what is going on. Finding a sympathetic GP who (if appropriate), makes a referral to a gynaecologist is important, as are careful discussions prior to planning treatment. Simple techniques such as hot water bottles, wheat bags and baths may play a part with symptoms. Surgery isn’t always first line management for everyone — many women will get some relief with anti-inflammatory medications and simple painkillers. The contraceptive pill can also shrink endometriosis.

A balanced diet is probably best, though research on specific foods and food groups is not clear regarding endometriosis.

Being as healthy as possible is likely to have benefits all around, including coping with symptoms. If bowel symptoms seem to occur with your pain, such as diarrhoea, then experimenting by excluding certain foods may be worthwhile. (Bowel symptoms should also lead to appropriate investigations, and your GP will advise). Regular exercise leads to a sense of wellbeing and raises pain tolerance levels. Good restful sleep always helps, as does ‘destressing’. Seeing a specialist pelvic floor physiotherapist can be of use, as can seeing a counsellor and pain management clinic.

Endometriosis is a highly complex and potentially horrible disease. It is challenging for women and health care professionals and requires a multi-faceted approach to try and treat it well. But if you think you may have it, don’t suffer in silence but speak to your GP about the options for further investigation. — Anil Sharma Dr Anil Sharma, MB ChB, DGM, CCST, FRCOG, FRANZCOG, is a gynaecologist with a local practice. This column is intended only to offer general information.

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the bookmark

Well Read Designer and bibliophile Karen Walker has opened a pop-up bookstore collaboration within her Balm St, Newmarket shop.

So who better to ask for recommendations to read or give?

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s with many people, the summer hols are my time for closing the laptop and opening the book. Over the break my perfect day is spent lazing in the back yard, knocking off 200 pages of something astonishing.

Of course, having a pop-up bookshop in our Newmarket store, Playpark by Karen Walker, makes it all just a bit easy for me to indulge my #1 summer occupation. Our bookstore’s been created in partnership with New Zealand’s oldest family-owned bookshop, Hedleys Booksellers, who are celebrating their 110th birthday this year. To mark this, I worked with Hedleys to create an edit of 110 books — all-time favourites and new must-reads across all sorts of genres. The selection’s full of twists and turns, but someone did point out to me that it has a very clear thread running through it — strong women. Upon review, this thread is evident and was, of course, inevitable. Here are a few of my favourites that tell strong female stories.

Mrs Dalloway — Virginia Woolf. What’s not to love about everything Woolf ever wrote? But this, in my opinion, is her greatest and I question if a life is truly lived without having read it. I read it a few weeks before my daughter was born, and, as a result she was very nearly named Clarissa.

One of my favourite lines: “I prefer men to cauliflowers”.

The Bell Jar — Sylvia Plath. I only got to this one recently, though it looms so large over popular culture that I felt I already knew it. What a heart-breaker, especially when you know what a roman à clef it is and that a month after its first publication, Plath suicided. Poor, poor Sylvia. One of my favourite lines: “There is nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends”.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls — Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo. What a fabulous concept – strong women whose stories are inspiring and eye-opening for anyone, but especially girls. My nine-year-old was given this recently and read it in days.

It’s a great way to introduce a girl to strong women, and to bigger stories around history, culture, rights and wrongs. Used right, this book is a conversation starter for big topics and has triggered discussions in my home on subjects ranging from war, racism, equality and human rights, to Frida Kahlo’s pet monkey. It’s the top-seller in our bookstore so far, and I can see why. Our very own war hero, WWII spy Nancy Wake, sums it up pretty well: “For

goodness sake, did the Allies parachute me into France to fry eggs and bacon for the men?”

The Year of Magical Thinking – Joan Didion. Enough said. But this book especially — such a wonderful insight into death and grief and shock and love and marriage. She captures so well how time slows and details magnify when a major event happens, in this case the sudden death of her husband of 40 years. And all the while, the reader knows that just months later, her only child will also die, though in the book this merely looms large on the horizon in the form of illness. This book is a gem and a heartbreaker. One of my favourite lines: “Life changes in the instant. The ordinary instant”.

La Belle Sauvage – Philip Pullman. I’m a big Philip Pullman fan. I loved the His Dark Materials trilogy when it came out 20 years ago, and loved it just as much when I read it to my daughter when she was eight. We’ve been hanging out for the start of the new trilogy, The Book of Dust, and can’t wait to be reunited with one of the greatest female characters of all time – Lyra Silvertongue.

This one’s wrapped and waiting under the Christmas tree.

Lee Miller’s War — edited by Antony Penrose. I’ve always loved Miller’s photography but with this book I discovered that her writing’s even more powerful.

Lee Miller’s War brings together the WWII diaries she kept for Vogue from both sides of the front line. It’s angry and it’s raw and it takes you right into the horror of warravaged Europe. We have a duty to know the story of this war and I’ve come across few who tell their part of it more grippingly than Miller. I love her tone, which is flat and angry and notices details most would have been incapable of seeing. One line I love, whilst embedded with the US army behind the front line: “A company was filing out of St Malo, ready to go into action, grenades hanging on their lapels like Cartier clips, menacing bunches of death”. As far as similes go, that’s pretty darn good.

Hera Lindsay Bird – Hera Lindsay Bird. Bird’s eponymous first collection of poetry is a knock-out. My favourite: “Monica”. As someone who never got the appeal of Friends (in my opinion just a bad, unamusing knock-off of Seinfeld – there, I’ve said it!) I love her critique of Monica, especially its closing line: “And don’t even get me started on Ross”.

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Remuera's Fine Jewellery Boutique EST 1980

Phone 09 520 1092 • 333 Remuera Road, Remuera, Auckland • www.antheasjewellers.co.nz

the magpie + remuera

Christmas Presence The Magpie alights on Remuera to tick off her Christmas list

1. Keep a summery vibe alive all year round with this appealing acrylic-on-paper work, painted by NZ artist Tom Burnett in the late 1970s.

Crayfish on Plate measures 600 x 450mm and is available at Remuera Gallery’s new pop-up salon, 269 Remuera Rd. Ph 524 7403. remuera-gallery.com

7. This chic and functional Dunholme Slipper Table is a perennial favourite. Crafted in NZ out of American Oak, it’s available in a variety of stain finishes. Its timeless styling and functionality see it elegantly placed beside any chair or sofa, or conveniently in the middle of the sofa, for your champagne. $595, from Gracious Living, 386 Remuera Rd. (09) 520 1735. graciousliving.co.nz

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2. This festive Sri Lankan Xmas Cake, $55, is English inspired, but loaded with many more spices, and made with semolina and ground almonds. It’s super moist and totally delectable. Great as a gift — if you can part with it — or to have on hand for visitors.

4&20 Bakery, 3a Clonbern Rd. Ph 529 0307. 4and20.co.nz

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3. Cushions make both a pleasing gift and a quick way to update décor. Freshen up terraces and patios with gorgeous outdoor cushions from The Sitting Room. There’s a great selection of ready-made cushions, or choose from a range of outdoor fabrics for made-to-order. Priced between $80 and $150, The Sitting Room, The Village Green, 415 Remuera Rd. Ph 520 2200 4. The Magpie loves a chic visor and this little gem by Helen Kaminski, $140, is a winner. The Bianca Visor (Kaminski’s best seller) is available in natural (pictured), charcoal and nougat from Hedgerow, 371 Remuera Rd. Ph 524 0843. hedgerow.co.nz 5 “Vamos de la playa!” Yes, we will be off to the beach (and the tennis and a few lunches) in this fabulous, genuine and handmade Sensi Studio Panama Palm Tree Hat. A wardrobe essential, it’s $299

8. An Antipodean Christmas is about sun and style, so step out on a summer’s day in these gorgeous Barker Sandals by Brenda Zaro, $229. Sporting a perfect mid heel, they’re made in Spain from leather and printed suede. Available in blue or silver from Mikko Shoes, 402 Remuera Rd. Ph 972 2357. mikkoshoes.nz 9 Oh, wrap me up and call me happy in these Kesem Boy Leopard Towels from Hedgerow! Designed in Sydney and made in Portugal from 100 per cent cotton, they’re available in a hand towel, bath mat, bath towel and bath/beach towel sizes, from $39.95. Hedgerow, 371 Remuera Rd. Ph 524 0843. hedgerow.co.nz

from Maman, 2a Clonbern Rd. Ph 520 1020. maman.co.nz 6. The Classique Swiss Watch, $2750, is simply stunning with its dazzling 1.30 carats of diamonds. Think of how many brownie points a gift like this will earn you! Exclusive to Sanders of Remuera Jewellers, 385 Remuera Rd. Ph 520 3630. sandersjewellers.co.nz

the hobson 42

10. Le Toy Van Sophie’s House, $280, is the classic, fully painted and decorated house featuring a scalloped roof and front porch. Inside, there’s a staircase, loft ladder and opening shutters and windows. Adorable! Dolls and furniture sold separately. From Mainly Toys, 333 Remuera Rd. Ph 630 6318. mainlytoys.co.nz

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the hobson 43

the pretty

Santa Baby Justine Williams finds stocking-worthy treats for very good girls (and boys) Citrus, wood and herbs, this is rich hydration without a greasy finish. Aēsop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balme, $39, from Aēsop, Osborne St, or aesop.com/nz Shine bright like a diamond. For hot-looking hair, Redken Diamond Oil Glow Dry, $45, offers protection and shine. From Redken stockists and salons

Be transported to a delicious tropical island get-away — one sniff and you’re there! Bondi Sands Coconut Beach Sunscreen Oil SPF 15, $19.99, available at pharmacies

Inspired by Korean skincare, Matrix Total Results Miracle Creator Multi-Tasking Hair Mask is designed to repair damaged hair in just 60 seconds. $5 each, available from Matrix stockists

Bye bye frizzies and fly-a-ways!

Evo Love Perpetua Shine Drops are $39.50, from Pony Professional, Broadway

Zip, zip, ready in a jiffy. The Remington Beauty Trim Bikini Trimmer has five different settings for personal style preferences. $49.99, available at Farmers

One palette, 12 shades, infinite variations on burgundy and nude looks. Maybelline New York Burgundy Bar Palette, $29.99, exclusively from Farmers

Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, $28, is a heavy hitter with a delicate finish.

Nom Nom. Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 in Mango is a delicious addition to a stocking (and handbag) $18, from Kiehl’s counters

The elves consider this could be the best small gift ever, for anyone. This Works Sleep Tight, $26, at Mecca Cosmetica Broadway, Mecca Maxima Queen St and meccabeauty.co.nz

This rapidly-absorbed oil is designed to reinforce your skin’s protective layer. Santa says yes to Dermalogica Phyto Replenish Oil Ornament. $24, from dermalogica.co.nz or stockists Thank you! Make it a sweet kiss with bareMinerals Ooh La Luxe, $15, from Mecca Cosmetica on Broadway or meccabeauty.co.nz

the hobson 44

Mrs Claus can’t go past the rich colour pigment of L’Oreal Paris Infallible Lip Paints, $23.99.

She likes this one, King Pink. From pharmacies and Farmers

Go glam on Christmas Day with Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner, $36, from Mecca Maxima, Queen St or meccabeauty.co.nz

Room 9 — A Holistic Centre for Attention There’s a new environment upstairs at Stephen Marr’s Newmarket salon. Room 9 is a boutique beauty therapy practice offering progressive skin health, wellness and beauty solutions.

Christmas Wish List...

The Room 9 practice was established by beauty therapist Amelia Story in 2010, when she returned to Auckland after a decade working in Europe. She has now relocated Room 9 to the tranquil salon space within Stephen Marr Newmarket, where she leads a team offering the latest in skin and beauty treatments, including appearance medicine and the must-have skin fix, Omnilux.

Underpinning the treatments is Amelia’s commitment to wellness, and her interest in touch therapy as part of a holistic beauty regimen.

“In a world where people are less likely to engage with each other and have high stress levels, chronic sickness and less time, skin treatments are often last on the list, if at all,” says Amelia, pictured at top, with therapists Sophie, Annie and Caroline.

“Room 9 operates on the belief that we work together with our clients to create a holistic, fulfilling experience, resulting in beautiful skin, a relaxed mind and respect for the environment too.

Whether it’s facials, infusions, microdermabrasion, peels, Omnilux or appearance medicine, you can be guaranteed that each session is tailored to the needs of our client and their skin requirements, which more often than not come down to seasonal factors, stress levels, emotions, diet and medication.

“We are an experienced team of passionate professionals.

We have the most current and credible treatments, delivered in a discreet and soothing environment. We all love what we do, and we aim to impart that to our clients, whatever their needs.”

Bird and Knoll Isabelle Poncho $355 Celine Chris Sunglasses $599 Le Bois Scented Water 100ml $85 Lucy Folk mesh earrings $379 Hunza G Bikini $225

Room 9 Skin + Beauty @ Stephen Marr Hair Design 16 Morrow St, Newmarket Ph (09) 524 6702 roomnine.co.nz Facebook: Room Nine Skin Clinic EXCLUSIVE READER OFFER: book a consultation at Room 9 and receive a complimentary Omnilux skin treatment (value of $80). Offer valid to February 20, one per reader.

2a Clonbern Road, Remuera. maman.co.nz

the destination

This page, Nyhavn district, Copenhagen, photo Stig Ottesen. Opposite, from top: bicycle parking in the historic centre, photo Andril Lutsyk/Shutterstock; Den BlĂĽ Planet (The National Aquarium), designed by Danish architects 3XN, photo Sandro Katalina; the Tivoli Gardens, photo B Anders

the hobson 46

To Copenhagen with Love (and kids) Young children don’t deter Parnell’s Anthony Browne and Fiona Allan from travelling. As Browne, a partner in the popular Brothers beer business and Ōrākei Bay Bistro writes, it’s just about resetting your expectations.

I

remember what travel was like before kids. When packing involved stuffing a backpack, and airports were to be walked through, swiftly, with only carry-on. But whilst a number of my friends predicted that starting a family would clip my wings, my partner Fiona and I have defied this prediction and continue to explore the world as often as time and money allows, now with two kids in tow.

Whilst we still travel, the way we travel has changed. “Will my clothes fit into that bag?” has now become “can all our bags fit into that taxi?” Instead of booking the cheapest airfare, we look for non-stop flights with evening departures so the kids can (fingers crossed) sleep. Accommodation with access to pools and playgrounds trumps cheap hostels in the middle of the action. And we pick one place to go, just one, and stay there for the entire holiday, having come to the realisation that the effort of moving the family — us and Rose, 4, and Issak, 3, from place to place, detracts from the relaxation aspect of our holiday.

This of course places a great deal of pressure on choosing the all-important one place. And this year, the answer to that question was Copenhagen.

“Why would you come to Copenhagen for a month?” was the modest reaction of the Danes we met, which was surprising, as their beautiful, compact capital of Copenhagen ticks so many boxes for me. I wanted to check out first-hand the architecture, design and urban planning the city is famous for. I wanted to know if “New Nordic” cuisine lived up to the hype. I was thirsty for delicious beer by Danish brewers Mikkeller and Toøl. I wanted to work out why Danes regularly top the list of the world’s happiest people. And I was sure the kids would find heaps to enjoy — after all, how many cities have an amusement park in the middle of downtown?

Despite arriving on a wet, dreary and surprisingly cold summer’s day, our holiday was off to a good start. Our Airbnb apartment was perfect, in the centre of town, spacious and newly renovated, with a kitchen nicer than our one at home.

We decided to get around like locals and hired bikes — there are bike shops on every corner providing rentals with kids seats and helmets. Cycling on dedicated cycleways and incredibly courteous Danish drivers meant that even with the kids on the back, I have never felt so safe on a bicycle.

Now settled in, we decided it was time to crack into Copenhagen’s many child-friendly attractions. The Experimentarium is like MOTAT on steroids, we were so absorbed in the interactive science exhibits we got kicked out (very politely, Danish-style) at closing. Next up was Den Blå Planet, Europe’s newest and largest aquarium, housed in a futuristic silver slug of a building, featuring a rainforest section with piranhas. And there is not one but two amusement parks in Copenhagen. We really loved Tivoli, one of the world’s oldest fun parks located right in the centre of town, surely a little

the hobson 47

the destination

Above: Louisiana, museum of modern art, photo by Kim Hansen. Top: Rose at the Dyrehaven parkland. Photo courtesy Anthony Browne

tacky but magical too, especially when lit-up at night. Further out of town is Bakken, an old-fashioned amusement park with a massive wooden roller coaster, located in one corner of Dyrehaven, a sprawling parkland once part of the Danish king’s estate and complete with grazing reindeer.

And whilst mum and dad enjoyed the fun parks, we also managed to get to many of Copenhagen’s museums and galleries. A train ride from the city is Louisiana, a beautiful waterfront mansion with one of the world’s best modern art collections, and a kids’ section where they can create their own masterpiece.

The Design Museum provided a fascinating insight into the contribution Denmark has made to shaping our world. We also enjoyed Ordrupgaard with its stunning architecture, the carefully preserved house of designer Finn Juhl and its interactive sculpture garden.

With so much to see and do I often found myself hungry and thirsty at the end of the day. Or at lunchtime. Another consequence of having kids is not eating out as often.

Fortunately we managed to strike up a

Above: The Design Museum at Ordrupgaard, by architect Zaha Hadid. Top: New Nordic cuisine, the old armoury housing the popular restaurant, 56°, Opposite page: Allan and Browne on tour, the Mikkeller brewery.

Photos courtesy Anthony Browne

friendship with Louise, a lovely Danish gal just returned from New Zealand with her Kiwi boyfriend, and who was happy to babysit. Our favourite spot was Bodil, a small bistro in edgy Vesterbro, which showed us what New Nordic was all about.

We had a more traditional Danish dining experience at 56°, set in an old armoury building with metre thick walls. The traditional fare was beautifully prepared and as we ate in their garden on a lovely sunny day. it was hard to think of a nicer spot.

Just down the road from our apartment was La Banchina, as grungy and hipster as Copenhagen gets. Set in a dilapidated shack, there was a sauna (of course!) and a wharf from which people were braving the icy harbour water to swim. With only a couple of items on the menu it had to be good and it was: hot smoked cod, fresh peas and heritage spuds served with a simple herb salad.

Casual dining is to be found in the grungy Kodbyens, the former meatpacking the hobson 48

district. Our favourites were Mother for woodfired pizzas, and fresh seafood at Fiskebar.

Kodbyens is also home to a weekend food truck gathering with live music and a chilled vibe; we preferred it to the very crowded harbourside street food market on Paper Island. Another foodie mecca not to be missed is Torvehallerne market, possibly the best spot for a casual lunch on a sunny day.

We even managed a little shopping, exploring the fashion and design stores around pedestrianised Stroget and its two sprawling department stores.

And, of course, we had to sample some Danish beer. Copenhagen has plenty of great craft beer bars, and I think we just about went to all of them.

Our favourite was Baghaven, brewer Mikkeller's waterfront barrel room, grungy cool and without a doubt the best spot to watch the sun set over the city. And we hedonistically drunk beer in the city’s many parks, alongside handsome sunbathing locals and screaming kids. Perfect.

The final assessment? Copenhagen is a fantastic place to visit. Just ask my kids. p

Interested in knowing more about a stay in Copenhagen?

Anthony Browne’s pre-visit recommendations include: Read: The 1992 novel, Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow, by Peter Høeg Watch: The 2014 movie, Copenhagen, directed by Mark Raso Listen: Barbie Girl, by Aqua Use: The Monocle Copenhagen Travel Guide 2017, www.visitcopenhagen.com, www.scandinaviastandard.com

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A Table at Black Barn

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the appetite

T

wenty years ago, advertising creative director Kim Thorp and farming friend Andy Coltart pooled their resources and bought a piece of “average” farmland, complete with an almost derelict cottage, in Havelock North, Hawkes Bay. “We started with a white cottage, in an empty paddock and a name, then proceeded to create the reality,” says Thorp. Black Barn grew into a landmark in the area, a much-loved destination for those seeking luxury rural or coastal accommodation, or a visit to an award-winning winery and bistro, or to a concert in the Black Barn ampitheatre, or to shop at the seasonal growers’ market.

Black Barn: portrait of a place is a tribute to Thorp and Coltart’s vision, celebrating all aspects of their bold venture. With poetry to accompany the text, favourite recipes and photos by fellow Hawkes Bay artist Brian Culy, the book is as elegant as Black Barn itself. Here, the BB partners share four dishes to suit Christmas or summer eating. Happy anniversary, Black Barn, and bon appetite!

TOMATO CARPACCIO WITH BASIL GRANITA

Extract reproduced with permission from Black Barn: portrait of a place, available at bookstores now, including Poppies, Remuera. Text by Gregory O’Brien and Jenny Bornholdt. RRP $85. Published by Penguin Random House (Godwit). Photography © Brian Culy, 2017.

To assemble 6 vine tomatoes 1 punnet of heirloom cherry tomatoes 1 bunch of baby basil Cornflowers, Olive Oil

Left: Grilled Apricots & Peaches with Hokey Pokey. Above right: Tomato Carpaccio with Basil Granita

Serves 4 Sweet fried onions 200g water 200g sugar 1 red onion, shredded Vegetable oil, for frying Basil Granita ½ cup sugar 1 cup water 1 cup basil leaves Juice of 4 lemons 2 tablespoons vodka Whipped goat cheese 150g goat cheese Zest of 1 lemon, Pinch of salt Croûtons ½ loaf sourdough bread Olive oil Sea salt

To make the sweet fried onions Make the sweet fried onions a day ahead. Put water and sugar into a pot over medium-high heat, bring to the boil then cool. Macerate shredded red onions in the mixture overnight. Drain and deep-fry in hot oil until crisp. Pat dry with a paper towel. u the hobson 51

the appetite

To make the basil granita If possible, make the granita a day ahead.

Combine the sugar and water in a medium pot. Warm the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat, and cool to room temperature.

Add the basil to the sugar syrup and muddle the leaves with the back of a wooden spoon. Leave to steep for 1 hour.

Strain the mixture. Stir in the lemon juice and vodka.

Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 2 hours. Scrape with a fork, stirring the ice crystals into the centre of the container.

Repeat every 30 minutes until the mixture is fully frozen.

To make the whipped goat cheese Mix all the ingredients using a blender until smooth. Place in a piping bag and set aside at room temperature until needed.

To make the croûtons Preheat oven to 150°C. Slice the bread thinly and cut out shapes using a cutter of your choice. Place the bread on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for approximately 15–20 minutes or until crisp.

To assemble Slice the vine tomatoes 5mm thick and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Arrange tomatoes in a circle on a round plate, season well and drizzle with olive oil. Pipe five dots of the whipped goat cheese on the tomatoes, then arrange the croûtons, fried onion and baby basil leaves on top.

Finish with two tablespoons of the granita in the centre and garnish with cornflowers.

KIM'S FIG SALAD Serves 4 as an entrée or light lunch 1 small loaf sourdough bread 150ml good-quality olive oil ½ cup grated Parmesan Zest of 1 lemon Salt and black pepper, freshly ground 1 clove garlic 50ml red wine vinegar 10 figs, halved 1 cup basil leaves 1 cup mint leaves 1 cup rocket leaves 2 large balls fresh buffalo mozzarella, torn 10 thin slices prosciutto, torn into strips Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut crusts off all sides of the loaf and tear bread into uneven chunks.

Place bread chunks into a roasting pan. Drizzle about one-third of the olive oil over the bread. Scatter with the Parmesan and lemon zest. Toss gently and season with generous grinds of salt and pepper. the hobson 52

Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until crisp and starting to brown. Set aside to cool.

Cut the garlic clove in half and rub over the inside of the serving bowl. Discard garlic. Whisk remaining olive oil, vinegar and a good grind of salt and pepper in the serving bowl.

Add figs, herbs and rocket and gently toss to coat with dressing.

Add mozzarella and bread and toss gently again.

Gently mix the strips of prosciutto into the salad. Don’t toss too much or the prosciutto will roll into balls.

Give it another grind of pepper and serve.

To make the horseradish cream Mix all the ingredients together well and season with salt to taste.

To assemble Slice the duck breasts in half lengthwise. Smear a generous amount of horseradish cream on the middle of each plate and place half a duck breast on one side. Fill three pod halves with peas and place them around the plate. Scatter 5–6 strawberry rounds, radish slices and the remaining peas around. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of dressing and garnish with pea shoots.

Ice bath Fill a bowl large enough to hold the peas with ice, and cover ice with cold water. As soon as the peas are cooked, drain it well and then plunge into the ice water until cool. Remove and drain.

DUCK BREAST, PEAS, STRAWBERRIES & HORSERADISH Serves 4

GRILLED APRICOTS & PEACHES WITH HOKEY POKEY

1 bunch of radishes 1 punnet of strawberries 2 tablespoons olive oil 500g fresh peas in the pod

Serves 8 Hokey pokey 90g caster sugar 30g liquid glucose 20ml water 5g baking soda

Duck 2 large duck breasts Red wine vinegar dressing 40ml Forum Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar Pinch of salt 1 tablespoon liquid honey 120ml vegetable oil

Grilled apricots & peaches 8 firm ripe peaches 8 firm ripe apricots

Horseradish cream 100g crème fraîche 1 tablespoon grated fresh horseradish Juice of ½ lemon

To assemble 150g clover honeycomb 2 cups Greek yoghurt ½ cup verjuice Fennel flowers

To assemble Pea shoots To prepare the vegetables & strawberries Wash and trim the radishes. Cut into 2mm slices using a mandolin or sharp knife. Cut the strawberries into 3mm-thick rounds and macerate in the olive oil. Carefully take the peas out of their pods, reserving 12 empty halves for serving. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and blanch peas and pods for 1 minute.

Refresh in an ice bath (see below), drain and set aside.

To cook the duck Trim the duck breast of excess fat and score the exterior layer of fat.

In a heavy-based pan over a medium heat, place the duck breasts fat side down and leave to render slowly (drain off the excess fat from time to time). This process will take around 4–5 minutes until the skin is crisp and deep golden. Turn over to the flesh side and cook for another 2 minutes. Rest the duck on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

To make the red wine vinegar dressing In a blender on medium speed, mix vinegar, salt and honey. With the machine still running, slowly add the oil until emulsified.

To make hokey pokey Line a tray with baking paper.

Place sugar, glucose and water in a small heavy-based pot and mix well. Place over medium heat and do not stir until it reaches 167°C on a candy thermometer, or a very light golden colour.

Remove from heat and leave to cool for 1 minute. Add baking soda, stir well, and pour immediately onto tray to cool. Break into pieces once cool.

To grill the apricots and peaches Halve and destone apricots and peaches. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Grill flesh-side down until well caramelised.

To assemble Divide apricots and peaches among plates, and garnish with generous chunks of honeycomb and quenelles of yoghurt.

Sprinkle with hokey pokey and drizzle with verjuice. Garnish with fennel flowers. p

Opposite from top: Kim's Fig Salad; Duck breast, Peas, Strawberries and Horseradish

the hobson 53

the sound

Heeere's Summer!

W

ell congratulations Auckland!

We are now officially a “City of Music”. Last month, we joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network, and we are now one of 18 cities designated a music city.

The Creative Cities Network is currently formed by 116 cities from 54 countries, covering seven nominated creative fields: Crafts & Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Music, and Media Arts.

The global network will open up opportunities for collaborations between the music industry and other member cities, opening the door for international cooperation and knowledge exchange. It’s quite a thing, and has taken a while to come about, thanks to co-operation between the local music industry and the Auckland Council, particularly Councillor Alf Filipaina.

Now, that said, the list of UNESCOapproved Cities of Music is pretty funky. Amongst the 18 are Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, Almaty in Kazakhstan and Ghent, Belgium.

None of which I automatically associated with rocking good times.

Then again, Glasgow is a City of Music and some of my favourite bands come from that city, not least Simple Minds and The Blue Nile.

Then there’s Kingston, Jamaica, the home of reggae.

But there’s no Philadelphia, even though there’s the Philly Sound. No Seattle, the home of grunge. In fact, there’s no American cities in the list of music cities, but I’d say that’s got more to do with the American suspicion of the UN, than any other reason.

To be honest I struggled for a while to see Auckland as THE Music City of New Zealand. After all Dunedin does have a sound named after it. Funnily enough Dunedin is the only other New Zealand city in the Creative Cities Network, but they've joined as a City of Literature. Who knew? Maybe it’s because there’s no Cities of Couch Burning.

But there we are. On the list. And we deserve to be. It was proven to me the other day when I took a look at my credit card account, which has been punished like never before. On the account was the bills for all the gigs I’ve bought recently — Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters, The National, Ed Sheeran, The Killers. There’s more than a couple of grand right there.

So then I took a look at Ticketmaster. There are 72 major gigs coming up this summer. Look at the names. Khalid, Harry Styles, Stevie Nicks, The Pretenders, Lorde, Take That, Jack Johnson, Cat Stevens, Mariah Carey, Bryan Adams, Robbie Williams, James Blunt, Queen, Roger Waters, Jimmy Barnes, even David Duchovny for goodness sake.

That’s just the big names. You can add The Stranglers, Paul Kelly, Feist, even Big Country to that. Remember them? Big Scottish band from the 80s who made their guitars sound like bagpipes.

Add in all the festivals too, like Laneway and Splore, and the newcomer, Playground, in Wynyard Quarter. That festival has Neil Finn playing with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

If that’s not an event that entitles us to be a world-recognised music city, then I don’t what else would. Then add in the local bands. Fat Freddy’s, 660, Sol3 Mio, plus the vineyard and church tours.

This summer has so many concerts, it’s easier to ask yourself who’s not coming rather than who is.

I think we take it for granted about how much choice we get down here at the end of the world. When I lived in Europe, I used to tell my mates about the bands I’d seen and they were amazed. Europe is so big and there’s such a huge market that it’s often nearly impossible for your average punter to see big bands.

Take Adele. 120,000 of us saw her when she toured here in March.

Compare that with London, where she played to the same number.

118,000 people saw her in Los Angeles and just 90,000 in New York. Getting tickets in those cities was both wildly expensive and very difficult, given the crush of numbers. But Sheryl and Kevin from Pakuranga could go, as long as they were prepared to drop $500.

We get a lot of gigs because the artists like to come here particularly at the end of their tours, because it’s a nice place to relax for a week or so after the show. Look at Ed Sheeran, who literally went bush. Our venues are fairly good. In fact, Elton John told all his rock n’roll mates to play Auckland after his first gig at Vector (now Spark) Arena.

And finally, we seem to have the ability to buy a lot of tickets.

For a city of 1.5 million people, we sure fill a lot of stadiums in a year.

The latest artist to give my bank manager conniptions was Grace Jones, who’s playing at Auckland City Limits. I was in like Flynn and didn’t care how much they cost. I mean — HEEERE’S GRACE! My mates overseas are wildly jealous. These days the 69-year-old performs “Slave to the Rhythm” hulahooping through the entire six-minute song. Who wouldn't want to see that? Actually, I’ll tell you who. The 25-year-old journos in my newsroom. I had to tell them who Grace was.

Sigh. The youth of today!

So here we are. A world recognised City of Music and the music is coming to us. Brace yourself for a long, expensive, and wildly fun summer.

— Andrew Dickens

the hobson 54

the district diary

December 2017 1 Haul out the Chrissy decorations, let the kids loose on their advent calendars, hang up the mistletoe and go shopping for a tree. ‘Tis the season to be merry!

You can help make dreams come true for Kiwi kids by donating to Variety’s Annual Christmas Appeal. The funds go to scholarships that could be as small as paying for a regular music lesson, or as a big as getting to an international competition.

See variety.org.nz

of efforts from StarJam’s inspirational young people with disabilities. Singing, dancing and drumming for the whole family to enjoy, community BBQ starts at 5pm, concert begins at 6pm.

Cash raffles on the night, tickets for the concert at eventfinda.co.nz. Victory Convention Centre, 98 Beaumont St, City

thing. The first Sunday of every month is now known as Beer & Bones Day. Bring your pooch and enjoy the ‘Dog Days of Summer’ at The Lumsden Freehouse, 444 Khyber Pass Rd, 12-7pm 9 Kia Maia te Whai Dare to Explore runs till January 17 and is a free, fun, educational six-week adventure reading

intermediate schools Don't missed the special, extended Baker & Bloom Christmas Market this afternoon in Heard Park, Parnell Rd. As well as the stalls, there’ll be carols, festive fairies, fun and prizes, and even a visit from a certain Mr S. Claus. From 1pm until dusk, see parnell. net.nz for more info The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s annual Yuletide celebrations will once again be heard ringing through Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell. Tickets from apo. co.nz, 7.30pm start, also Saturday 16, 3pm

Until the end of January, Auckland Libraries members (aged 14+) can take part in the Great Summer Read Challenge. Head to aucklandlibraries.govt.nz or pick up a list of challenges from your local library, then log answers online for a chance to win weekly prizes.

Complete all 15 challenges to go in the grand prize draw

16 Shop for handmade gifts at Craft Harvest, on today alongside the Parnell Farmers’ Market, Jubilee Hall, 545 Parnell Rd

Until 9 December enjoy an electric reimagining by Silo Theatre of Prokofiev’s musical fairytale Peter and The Wolf. A live band, puppets, projections and narrators include the PM (her session is sold out), Rachel House, Rima Te Wiata, Dave Fane and more. Tickets from $20, ticketmaster.co.nz.

Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre

Orakei Markets’ Chrissy Marketplace starts at 9am at the Orakei Community Centre, 156 Kepa Rd. Gifts, gourmet, artisan and vintage

2 Mr & Mrs Claus (pictured shopping locally last year) are back in Remuera for selfies and wish-lists, 10am-2pm, with Santa’s Grotto in the Village Green open between 11.30-1pm. Today and December 9, 16 and 23

3 Take your best friend and head to Paws in Parnell, a boutique mini-market for all things canine — there’ll be great Christmas gifts for the fur babies. The first Sunday of every month, 10am-1pm, Heard Park, Parnell Rd

The Ultimate Italian Christmas market brings together food, wine, art, craft, fashion and design, as well as activities for the kids, a display of Italian bikes and prizes to be won. Mercatino Di Natale, Freeman’s Bay Community Hall, 52 Hepburn St, 10am-3pm

The StarJam Auckland End of Year Concert is the culmination of a year’s worth

Still on dogs ... Beer & Bones for Father’s Day was such a success that it’s now a

15 School’s out for summer for most primary and

programme for kids aged 5-13. See daretoexplore.nz or aucklandlibraries.govt.nz for more info

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18 Revel in the magic and madness of the season, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas with Operatunity.

Somervell Presbyterian Church, Cnr Greenlane and Remuera Rd, 11am-1pm.

Tickets from $28.50 (incl. lunch) operatunity.co.nz 23 The Parnell Farmers’ Market is on every Saturday and today’s is perfectly timed for fresh greens, fruit and specialty produce for Christmas dining. (The market returns again on January 13) 24 Slice some Christmas cake and pour a glass of milk, hang the stockings and put a bowl of water out for the reindeer. Santa is coming tonight!

the cryptic by mĀyĀ

ACROSS

DOWN

1 Florentine house, tenement inoffensive to witch doctors (8,3) 7/24 A bat, for example, has a metre, a millimetre and a litre (6) 9 Doctor’s one taking care of harsh legislator (5) 10 Firm sister to beat poser (9) 11/18 Mood to alter? Getting warmer! (7,6) 12 Article holding little fellow could be like “The Great” (7) 13 Song in which Pete Townshend talked about his chromosome allowance (2,10) 17 Rudely arousing Lucy Lawless (12) 20 Plants lady’s accessory on Morse (7) 22 Rodents I’m told Spooner gave a larger number of random number generators (7) 23 A sewer’s extremity, where hard coating mostly goes west (9) 25 Maxes out in testing conditions (5) 26 See 5 Down 27 English tuxedo inspired French letters? (7-4)

1 Half of modern music torn to shreds (8) 2 Studies conflict raised amidst sound of bells (8) 3 First century Imperialist holding key and acting for ancient type (3-6) 4/8 How 19 described 11/18 as 13’s menace left mourner unsettled (7,4,6) 5/26 Little Irish fellow with long hair and short height (6) 6 Dicky heart missing name included fabric (5) 7 Fox scaring up a mother sheep (6) 8 See 4 12 Leading up volcano? Give up while there’s half a chance! (11) 14 So, Lourdes trip cured B.O? (9) 15 Radostina Todorova lands part repeating a phrase (8) 16 Relations in a web? (8) 18 See 11 Across 19 ’arsher name for one subject of Leighton Smith’s gaffe (6) 21 Spontaneous commercial freedom (2-3) 24 See 7 Across

Set by Māyā. Answers will appear in our next issue (Jan/Feb 2018). Can't wait, or need help? Visit https://thehobsoncrossword.wordpress.com/

NOVEMBER CRYPTIC CROSSWORD ANSWERS Across: 1 Moustache, 6 Sioux, 9 Handlebar, 10 Opepe, 12 Rider, 13 Honourers, 15 Dichromatic, 18 Voraciously, 21 Gentlemen, 22 Choux, 24 E-book, 25 Horseshoe, 26 Bride, 27 Odalisque Down: 2 Oxalis, 3 Sydney, 4 Aden, 5 Head of household, 7 Imperial, 8 Upper lip, 11 Monocle, 14 Citizen, 16 Movember, 17 Last word, 19 Rhesus, 20 Sudoku, 23 ISIL

the hobson 56

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DANIELLE RECLAIMED TEAK DINING TABLE & WASHINGTON CHAIRS

HOLLY & RETRO

SOHO GRANDE A-GRADE TEAK SOFA

KOBII SOFA

HEATSAIL® HEATERS

Stunningly curated outdoor furniture from Italy, Belgium, Indonesia, France and the Philippines, available for local and national delivery.

Everything arrives fully assembled. Sunbrella® cushions are free with the purchase of our deep seating pieces as shown on site.

Everything is in stock and available to take home today. Call for pricing! www.designwarehouse.co.nz

09 377 7710

137/147 The Strand, Parnell/Auckland

Toll Free - 0800 111 112

sales@designwarehouse.co.nz

Wholesalers Open Direct To The Public Daily 9:30 - 5:30

National Top Performing Licensee 2013 - 2017

Ross Hawkins M +64 274 720 577 ross.hawkins@sothebysrealty.com

Exceptional Year, Extraordinary Results New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty would like to congratulate Ross Hawkins on being awarded the title of our national top performing licensee for a fifth year running.

“It has been a fantastic and rewarding journey under the New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty umbrella.

I enjoy representing and contributing to the growth of the brand both locally and globally and I thank my established clients for their support in achieving my goals by both listing and purchasing the extraordinary properties we pride ourselves in marketing.”

Every home is different but the extraordinary deserve the best.

nzsothebysrealty.com Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Browns Real Estate Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.