the village
Meet Your Reps
I
n this issue, Mary Fitzgerald meets Waitematā Local Board member Vernon Tava. Before he was elected to the board in 2013, Tava was an academic researcher and tutor at the University of Auckland Law School. Tava has practiced as a lawyer and is now a business broker. He lives right in town, in the historic Brooklyn apartments.
Why did you stand for this position? I believe that the local board level of representation has the most impact on peoples’ everyday experiences of living in the city, and I am passionate about the conservation of our remaining built heritage and communicating its value to the public. What board portfolios are you responsible for? Primarily resource consents and heritage, as well as the transport portfolio.
I HAD A DREAM . . . Sammie Campbell loves her day job managing Remuera’s Integrative Pain Care practice, but it’s her after-hours role that really makes her heart sing. Campbell, 19, stars as the young lead, Sophie, in Amici Productions and Auckland Musical Theatre’s run of the hit Abba-based musical Mamma Mia!, which opens this month. Since she donned a munchkin costume for a local production of The Wizard of Oz at the age of five, Campbell has known she wants to perform. Since then, she’s been in 16 different productions, singing and dancing her way from munchkin to leading roles in shows including Sister Act and Hairspray. As Mamma Mia!’s headstrong Sophie Sheridan, Campbell also found personal connections with her character. “Abba is such an eternal sound,” she says. “My granddad only seemed to have Abba CDs. I used to dance in his living room when I was little — I’d make him get up and dance with me to songs like “Dancing Queen” and “Super Trouper,” which is probably my favourite of all the Abba songs.” Central to the musical plot is Sophie’s quest to discover her father. Campbell’s parents separated when she was very young, and she was raised by her mother, who, in another coincidence, shares the name of Sophie’s mother, Donna. “Like Sophie, I have grown up without my dad. But my mum is so very supportive of my following my dream — taking me to rehearsals, dance lessons, all those things." This year, Campbell will wrap up her work at the pain clinic, as she has been accepted to study midwifery at AUT. “Performing is my top passion, but I’m also keen to do other things. Perhaps one day I might go overseas for more experience, but for the next few years I’ll be studying.” p Mamma Mia! opens at the Bruce Mason Centre on March 24. For information, see ticketmaster.co.nz
Since being elected what do you consider to be the top two things you have achieved in your role? The first is the installation of the Heritage Foreshore Trail — a series of signs that trace the pre-1840 shoreline in central Auckland, which has been changed beyond recognition [see our story on the trail, page 32]. The second thing is the more quotidian, but also important monthly reporting on resource consents in the local board area. They’re available on my site, vernontava.com. I’m told it’s an invaluable resource for many city-watchers. What top four things do you intend to achieve in the time remaining in your term, and why are they important to you? The things I am aiming for share a common denominator, in that they will all make information about our shared historic heritage available and accessible to the public in an easy-to-understand and visually appealing way. They include to digitise information on the Foreshore Heritage Trail; develop online maps of heritage sites, public viewing areas and spaces, and notable trees; commission an augmented reality app that can be used on any connected device to visualise Auckland as it used to be, simply by holding it up in front of you. I’d also like to work with Auckland Council and the community to see neglected heritage buildings such as Māori Hall (Edinburgh St, Newton) and Carlile House (Richmond Rd) restored and returned to public use. Tell us something about yourself that will surprise your community. I used to be a professional coffee roaster in Melbourne. If you were prime minister what would you do to improve Auckland? Enable the city to properly fund its transport system. What is your favourite escape in Auckland? I love getting out to the West Coast beaches. In my own local board area, I enjoying riding my bike around Western Springs Reserve, or around the waterfront. p vernon.tava@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
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