Wattle Downs Pond Life - Issue 25

Welcome to Pond Life...

The Pond Life was originally thought of as a way to keep our neighbours informed, in touch with local events, environmental factors that affect our area, local residents’ stories of interest to others and a strong support of local tradespeople who operate in the area. This is our 25th edition. We encourage any residents to get involved and take up this great opportunity to engage with your neighbours and get involved in anything that may be of interest to you.

Our thanks go to the wonderful team who have been the authors of the Pond Life for many years. Thank you Margaret Allen, Heather Raudon and Heather Powell for your time and energy. Your work was most appreciated, Sue Matete stays on the team. She is so knowledgeable, and has such unflagging energy for Wattle Downs. Sue has lived in Wattle Downs for 17 years and has raised her family here and loves this beautiful neighbourhood.

Pat James has joined the team. Pat returned to New Zealand in 2012 and moved to Wattle Downs. She is a real asset to our community; as Secretary for the Wattle Downs Residents and Ratepayers Association, and with her involvement with Neighbourhood Support. She lives in Acacia Cove Retirement Village and plays bridge, whist, and teaches basic Tai Chi. Always busy!

Rae Baxter is the third member of the team. Currently still teaching, she is retiring at the end of this year, and intends to start a ‘Craft & Coffee’ group next year, where you can bring a craft item you are working on, and enjoy the company of like-minded people in our area.

Enjoy the read and let us know if you would like to join our team or have anything to add!

NEWSLETTER

TEAM: Pat James, Sue Matete & Rae Baxter. Big thank you to Acacia Cove for printing this newsletter. CONTACT US: wattledowns@live.com. COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: Paul Muollo

Pond Life (E&OE) is a volunteer non-profit organisation operating as a sub-commitee of the Residents & Ratepayers Association Inc.

your local Wattle Downs news!

Photograph by Nick Frost

CCTV Update

Wattle Downs has a community CCTV system to enhance safety for residents and their property.

Over the past 3 years the association has invested $35,000 upgrading the camera system with number plate recognition and adding cameras. Funds for this work came from local residents and businesses who share our desire to keep Wattle Downs a great place to live.

Please support this ongoing work with your annual subscription of $20 and any donation you wish to add. If you report a case to the Police, also give them the CCTV contact number 0220918033 to obtain footage to assist investigation.

We now have the main traffic entry points adequately covered and the system is running well with the last upgrade being the replacement of a faulty overview camera. Requests for footage are averaging about 1 every 6 to 8 weeks with most dealing with theft or damage to vehicles.

Any suggestions for additional sites can be submitted to the residents association email address for consideration or raised at a meeting. If your property is located by an intersection and you would be willing to host a camera, email wattledownsresidentsassoc@gmail.com.

Financial support is critical to success of our CCTV System – so please pay your $20 per year or feel free to make a donation.

DIRECT CREDIT: ASB Manurewa, 12-3032-0269585-01 Reference: Surname and address

What can you do?

• Be alert to suspicious activity and report it to the police.

• Call 111 if life or property is at risk – call 105 otherwise

• Call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 without giving your details (you can report anonymously)

• Don’t leave it for someone else – if you see something, tell someone who can sort it

Below is an example of a minor traffic accident where the driver failed to stop. We were able to assist the victim by providing the vehicle details for them to pass onto their insurance company.

Now the system is stable it’s time for others with new ideas and the enthusiasm to make further improvements, if you would like to learn more about what’s involved contact James on 09 267 3628.

Tips to reduce your burglary risk these holidays

1. If you have a burglar alarm - use it. Don’t ever leave the house without alarming it.

2. Try not to display presents until the last minute, or keep them out of sight to make your house a less obvious target. Presents under the Christmas tree are an advertisement to thieves.

3. Think about where you send your courier parcels. If you are home to receive them, all the better. Otherwise think about sending them to your work or collecting them, or to a friend who is home. People are following courier vans and taking parcels from front steps etc.

4. Don’t leave presents or groceries in your vehicle – even if it is locked and on your property. If you have a parcel tray use this to hide your items so that your vehicle is less attractive to thieves.

5. If you are leaving your home unattended, don’t advertise this. Make sure your answering message doesn’t imply that the house is empty and ensure that you and your children do not publish holiday information on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter.

6. Make it difficult for someone to break into your home. Lock your garden shed and put away your tools and ladders. Don’t leave any windows open – even if they seem impossible to reach.

7. Close doors and windows at the front of your house if you’re out the back of your house. Don’t invite thieves into your home, by leaving it open. Small items, such as your wallet or handbag are easily taken if near to open doors and windows.

8. If you’ll be away for a while ask someone to clear your mail frequently and try to make your home look lived in – try leaving a pair of shoes or gumboots near the door, ask your neighbours to park their car in your drive and even put their washing on your clothes line.

9. Before you leave your home remove anything that might make it an attractive target from view e.g. presents, electronic goods and alcohol. Hide your jewellry and valuable items in unlikely places.

10. Remember the Christmas spirit and keep an eye on your neighbours. If you see something suspicious - it probably is. The Police actively encourage residents to report any suspicious behaviour in their neighbourhood, so everyone can have a happy Christmas.

RING 111 if you are concerned.

Pest Free Wattle Downs Group

Part of what makes Wattle Downs such a special place is the harbour and the natural world of plants, trees and birds etc.

To help this natural world flourish, Wattle Downs residents have created a “Pest Free Wattle Downs 2103” group. Active volunteers and supporters undertake regular monitoring and control of introduced pests like rats, mice, wasps and possums. By controlling the numbers of these pests, more birds, beneficial insects and native plants are already thriving.

Residents regularly check bait stations located around the reserves and ponds of Wattle Downs and record any signs of pest activity.

Children and domestic animals cannot access these bait stations as they are locked and specially designed.

We also help our environment by controlling invasive weeds, monitoring bird numbers and cleaning up discarded rubbish.

Wattle Downs Pest Free activities align with Auckland wide Pest Free work and with Aotearoa New Zealand Pest Free 2050 Strategy. We are supported by Wattle Downs Residents Association, Auckland Council and Manurewa Local Board.

Like to put energy and time into this great initiative? Do get in touch: Row Robinson leads our Pest Free group and provides training. We welcome your support and involvement. You can join in or learn more on Facebook at Pest Free Wattle Downs 2103 or by emailing wattledownsresidentsassoc@gmail.com or pestfreewattledowns@yahoo.com

Gardening Tips

Guava Moth

In your walks round our lovely Wattle Downs walkway, you may have seen citrus trees with rotting fruit on the ground. And if you own any citrus, loquat, plum, peach, pear, apple, macadamia, feijoa or guava trees, you may have noticed that fruit drops more quickly than normal, and when picked up it has evidence of a pest infestation in the fruit (a bit like the damage codling moth does to apples). This has been caused by a little insignificant moth called the guava moth which has blown over from Australia, landing in Northland and working its way south. When I found them in my feijoa trees about 4 years ago, I was appalled and so sad as they were one tree which didn’t need much intervention to achieve a crop (ie a bucket full per day during the season from one tree!!)

The moth lays its eggs on the surface of the fruit and within 24 hours of hatching the larvae burrow inside the fruit and start eating. Once mature, they crawl out of the fruit, drop to the ground to pupate beneath the tree, turn into a moth and do it all again.

So, the moral of this story is to keep the ground beneath your trees clear of any debris for a start. I have tried all sorts of things to keep my fruit trees free of these pests including pheromone traps, “little bugger” traps which have a solar light to attract the moths at night and are quite expensive, and spraying with neem oil when you see fruit on the tree but I have found the only thing which protects your fruit is to completely cover the tree with a fine insect mesh net which the garden centres sell. I do cringe when I see a lot of citrus on the ground as this is encourages the larvae to pupate right at its food source and continue the life cycle of this pest. Think of your neighbour too, who may have similar trees.

Chris Allen

Reremoana School

Kia ora koutou katoa

Although this year has still had it’s covid challenges we have loved being back at school - 3 terms back at school! It’s been great to get back to doing the things that we all love. There have been so many highlights so far this year I can only touch on a few.

This year we are having a focus on helping tamariki to develop a love of reading. It’s been great to see reading being celebrated in a variety of ways including through reading challenges such as sharing a photo of the strangest place to read. Book fair and book week are coming up in Term 4 - always a favourite time!

This year we have really had a wonderful time celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori and Matariki. Alongside Wattle Cove ELCM our tamariki created a display around one of the stars of Matariki, they were fabulous and we loved how many of our community came to see them and watch our Kapa Haka perform.

We have just completed our Spell-athon fundraiser, which raised nearly $26,000 towards upgrading our junior playground and providing more playground equipment around our school. Thank you to everyone who supported us by sponsoring one of students.

Rehu Tai is a festival of oral language, building on the traditional speech competitions held in schools. Students can choose to present a speech, a rap, spoken word or a flash talk (a type of presentation). Reremoana School hosted the Manurewa finals, from here the winning students went on to represent Manurewa in the Auckland finals and Cooper H (Year 5) won at Auckland for his amazing Flash Talk around discovering Tyrannosaurus Rex.

We have been back to offering lots of sporting opportunities, including 3 teams competing at the AIMS games in Tauranga and holding our annual full school cross country. We are looking forward to our athletics day in Term 4 (as well as Year 5/6 and Year 7/8 camps).

As all schools have we have held board elections, the majority of our previous school board finishing as their children had moved on from our school. I want to thank the outgoing board for all their work and commitment and to give a special thanks and acknowledgement to Ianthe Jones (12 years on our school board, including 6 as board chair).

I would like to take this opportunity to mention a few things around road safety. Please may I ask everyone to be especially careful around our schools in Wattle Downs - please don’t stop or park on yellow lines, in gateways or bus stops. In several places around Wattle Downs we have places to cross the road with a pedestrian refuge eg Tington, Hadley Wood and Turnberry. As these are not pedestrian crossings, when cars stop to allow children to cross, it makes them think that all cars will stop, which of course is extremely dangerous.

Cowan, Principal Ngā mihi,

Julie

Clayton Park School

Clayton Park School is excited to announce to its community the construction of a scooter and go kart track, to go alongside our bike track. Thanks to successful funding from Grassroots Trust and Trillian Trust, and with the support of Daniel Newman, we will be able to offer our learners extended healthy options at school, and ways to connect with each other. We believe that with community support, we will be able to open our bike track and scooter track up to the whole community to make sure it stays an activated space over the Xmas holidays. To do this, we are asking for volunteers for a couple of hours a day to manage the tracks and manage first aid. If you would like to ‘activate’ the community for the upcoming holidays, please contact office@claytonpark.school.nz to show your interest.

Did you know that the mural that sits at the front of our school, was a collaboration between the Manurewa Marae, Manurewa Local Board, Reasha Pye (Tainui artist) and CPS? Our Kaumãtua, Martin Cooper, checked that we had included all the important landmarks and people of the area. To complete this project, we still need to do some planting, but most importantly, we are making sure that we accurately re-tell the stories of every feature in the mural, so that you too can learn more about the area we all live in. It will be as simple as clicking on the QR code and hearing our children telling you all about what you are looking at. The Board made the decision to provide the mural on both sides so that everyone passing can learn, not just our school community. We can’t wait to finish it but it’s a big project!

A little reminder that our school hall is now ready to hire again. Contact the office to check the availability. It is a great facility and right on the doorstep of Wattle Downs.

Jolene Marie, Principal

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

1 ½ cups castor sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon cornflour

4 tablespoons boiling water

Place all ingredients into a small bowl. Beat at high speed until mixture is very stiff – approximately 15 minutes. Spread onto a prepared tray (foil or baking paper) in a 12-inch circle. Bake at 180 C for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 150C for a further 45 minutes. Cool in the oven. Top with cream and your choice of fruit.

What am I?

My first leter is in fog, but not bog.

My second letter is in rat, but not in cat.

My third letter is in got, but not get.

My fourth letter is in big, but not in bit.

What am I?

Acacia Cove Update

Now that the various covid restrictions have disappeared things are returning to normal and attendance at our 32 weekly activities is increasing.

We have had several very successful functions recently including A Traditional Afternoon Tea, The Queen’s Jubilee Indoor Street Party and our Going Out Formal Party.

In coming weeks, we will be entertained by the Tim Armstrong Band, have a flower competition, a Blue Hawaiian themed dine and dance, a games night and then of course a Melbourne Cup function. There is always something to suit everyone.

The two biggest challenges we have now is recruiting an evening Chef for two nights per week and the state of the real estate market.

The end of Covid restrictions saw several residents leave Auckland to be closer to family members and others who needed to move to care. This has meant that for the first time in over 15 years we have a number of resales either become available or will become available shortly. They range in price from $610,000 to $860,000.

If you would like any information on Acacia Cove, please email Bruce Cullington at bruce@acaciacove.co.nz

Bupa Wattle Downs

Hi to residents, their families and whanau, Bupa Wattle Downs Care Home and Village would like to announce the appointment of General Manager Yvonne Kleyn to the facility.

Yvonne starts her new role at Wattle Downs on 25 October and is excited in taking on this new role Yvonne has been with Bupa many years and brings vast knowledge and experience of Care Homes and Villages we are looking forward to her starting.

Wattle Downs Care Home is a 60 bed complex with rest home and hospital level of care she welcomes enquiries on (09) 264 1397.

For Village enquiries please contact Lynne Westbrooke, our Village Coordinator on (09) 264 1397.

Yvonne Klein

Phone: (09) 264 1397

Email: yvonne.klein@bupa.co.nz

Wattle Downs Golf Course

It has been an interesting year for the Golf Course.

The restaurant is under new management but bringing the community in has been a challenge. A reminder to everyone that the golf course is a Wattle Downs space. Everyone is welcome as long as the rules are followed.

Please come visit the restaurant if you are looking to dine somewhere local!

In other news, the green keepers have been working hard to maintain the trees which line the course. A tree report is done every year to determine the health of the trees. Some of them have had to be felled while others have had to be trimmed.

Where possible, the green keepers will plant two trees for every one that is cut down. It keeps the bird life active while also protecting the neighbourhood from the wayward golf balls.

On the sustainability front, the golf course is looking into solar panels for the roof, but with rising costs of maintenance this may be on the back burner for a while yet.

Please join us for the Wattle Downs Residents Picnic on the 18th of December, we feel honoured to be co-hosting this event and look forward to connecting with the Wattle Downs Community.

130 Wattle Farm Road, Wattle Downs 09 268 1929 www.wattledownsgolf.co.nz

Andreas Sesun

Wattle Downs Club Bar & Restaurant

Wattle Downs Club Bar & Restaurant are currently recruiting and training staff for the busy season ahead, we are nearly there! New menu will be starting very soon & deliveries will be back up and running as soon as we have the right staff in place.

We have been successfully running Trivia Quiz nights which all residents thoroughly enjoy. There is currently a prize prize pot of around $2,000.00. To enquire on upcoming Trivia Quiz night dates go to our Wattle Downs Club Bar & Restaurant FB page for more details.

Come and enjoy a refreshing beverage or simply pick up a coffee, freshly baked scone or a fresh fruit ice cream from the lovely May (located in the carpark outside the club). Open from 6am – 12pm

We do bookings for any private events so book now for your Xmas Party as dates are filling up fast. We are open – Wednesday till Friday from 2pm till late & all day Saturday & Sunday from 11am. We are looking forward to seeing you all at the Residents & Ratepayers Association community picnic on 18th December for lots of fun and delicious food.

A little bit of Wattle Downs History

Clayton Park School is built on the land that was the former farm property of the Clayton family. This family came to New Zealand in the 1880’s when Captain Clayton worked for Lloyds Registry as a surveyor. Captain Clayton was a very talented artist and has over time had numerous famous ship paintings in the treaty house at Waitangi. They moved to Manurewa in 1886. The family contributed land from their farm estates to the community. They helped to build local churches and community facilities such as tennis courts. The peninsular had a lot Wattle Trees covering it hence the suburbs name.

Save The Dates

Upcoming Local Christmas Events

Wattle Downs Christmas Picnic - 18 Dec 2022, 11am to 3pm

Fun activities have been planned for young and old to enjoy. Bouncy castle, climbing wall, face painters, band plus much more at the Wattle Downs Golf Course. All activities are free.

Food and drinks will be available to purchase from the Wattle Downs Golf Course Albatross Cafe. Raffles will be sold on the day so bring your gold coins ($2 per ticket)

For further details contact Sue Matete 021 715 672

Christmas Morning Parade - 25 Dec 2022

Get ready and excited for the Christmas morning parade. Local residents bring their cars and spend a few hours on Christmas morning bringing cheer to our lovely community. This has become such a huge event in our community which brings happiness to young and old.

Contact Brett Burdett on 021 796 465 for more information – donations of lollies are always welcome.

Wattle Farm Radio Control Racing

Many Wattle Downs residents will see a lot of activity happening on the local ponds every weekend and some week days.

There are a group of competitive sailors who enjoy the cut and thrust of design, building and sailing and race their boats competitively.

NMMS (Northern Maritime Model Society) was incorporated in 1969, initially sailing vane controlled Marbleheads for many years, along with powered models such as tugs. The sailing fleet migrated primarily to IOM designs in the early 1990’s.

The Wattle Farm Lakes were established in 1960’s converted from the old settling ponds to a fresh water cleansing system to take the silt from the run off in the surrounding streams before it was released into the harbor. The main lake is between 600mm deep at the jetty end, to 1.6m at the far end by the tide gate. The water in this lake is brackish, initially being filled at high tide from The Manukau Harbour , then becoming more and more fresh as the stream run off flows in and dilutes the mix. The lake is drained and filled 2-3 times a year to control weed and allow maintenance at the tide gate.

The second (fresh water) pond was recently scraped and reprofiled by the local council and a larger area on the centre causeway created. Now that a second sailable body of water was created, additional fleets of DF65 and DF95 are starting. In 2022 the local Wind Warrior fleet started sailing at Wattle Farm.

How does our community connect?

There are many ways you can get involved in doing things in our neighbourhood. There are so many passionate people with many interests and hobbies that they are willing to share and connect with their neighbours. Many communication channels are open to everyone. It does not matter what language you speak or if you have a computer or not.

Here are some ways that you can seek out and share in connecting in Wattle Downs:

WATTLE DOWNS RESIDENTS & RATEPAYERS ASSOCIATION

Facebook: @wattledownsresidentsassociation www.facebook.com/wattledownsresidentsassociation

Email: wattledownsresidentsassoc@gmail.com

FITNESS & SPORTS

FITAZ

Run by a qualified trainer providing group fitness classes at Reremoana School. Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 5am and 6am. Contact Tracey on 0211 517 174, www.facebook.com/fitaznz

Michelle De Bryn

Personalised one-on-one personal training sessions that are close to home and affordable. If you want to tone up, drop body fat and improve health and fitness levels contact Michelle on 0211044751 or mdbsdb@gmail.com

Manurewa Croquet Club

31 Russell Rd, Manurewa

Contact Paddy Sheriff on 0274 943 192

ARTS & CRAFTS

WD Painting group

Contact Rae Baxter on 0272 112 246

Quilting Group

Contact Margaret Allen on 09 268 1045

Crochet & Knitting Club

Contact Carolyn Peterson on 09 266 2215

POND LIFE NEWSLETTER

Contact the newsletter team for more info, articles you would like to write, or to be a new committee member.

Email: wattledowns@live.com

WATTLE DOWNS ANNUAL CALENDAR

Contact Leo: 021 930 066 or Sue Matete: 021 715 672

OUR LOCAL DIRECTORY

Accountants

Taxteam

09 267 3628 admin@taxteam.co.nz www.taxteam.co.nz

Airteam

Heat Pumps & HVAC 0210 272 4497 09 265 0472 info@airteam.co.nz anton@airteam.co.nz

Beauty Sensations

Specialising in all beauty therapy treatments 99 Tington Ave, Wattle Downs 09 268 4044

Beck Electrical

Richard 09 266 4584 027 242 2109

Business Advisory & Perfomance Coach

Peter Elbourne - 021 982 649 www.hoopoe.co.nz

Cedar Park Superette 99 Tington Ave, Wattle Downs 09 267 5909

Clayton Park Bakery 99 Tington Ave, Wattle Downs 09 267 9087

Cleven Electrical Ltd

For all your electrical and air conditioning needs. 09 238 5374 office@clevenelectrical.co.nz www.clevenelectrical.co.nz

Davis Pool Care

Swimming & Spa Pool Servicing Mark 021 370 793 0800 4 POOLS

Driving Instructor

Phil Bryant - Wattle Downs Resident 027 562 7450 phil.bryant@elitedriverservice.co.nz

Euro Motor Works

General Vehicle Repairs & WOF MTA Assured 19a Holmes Rd, Manurewa 09 914 1590

Exclusive Electrical

Darren - 0800 865 824 sales@exclusiveelectrical.co.nz www.exclusiveelectrical.co.nz

Fitaz Fitness and Group Fitness Classes

Tracey Raututi - 021 151 7174 fitaz@hotmail.co.nz

Go Pest - Pest Control Sandra & Wayne info@gopest.co.nz 0508 467 378

Jeff Gallichan Plumbing 09 266 7152 027 479 1717

LS Muir Builders

Local renovations & building Lee 021 2255 282 lsmuirbuilders@xtra.co.nz

Moor Park Superette

1 Moor Park, Wattle Downs 09 267 4638

Next Gen Electrical

Dylan - 021 950 706 dylan@nextgenelectrical.co.nz

Prestige Lawn Care

Get rid of all your weeds, prickles & rogue grasses. Kerry Dawe 021 150 6093

Ross’s Plumbing Ltd

Plumbing, Gasfitting & Drainage 09 262 4003 0800 363 747 www.rosssplumbing.co.nz

Sarah Beauty & Hair Salon

28a Roseanne Rd, Wattle Downs 0210 558 612

Shane’s Installation Services

CCTV Installations, For all your UHF aerial & freeview TV services. Installations repairs and new outlets. 0276 601 377

Smartwash Waterblasting Ltd 0800 809 274 office@smartwash.co.nz www.smartwash.co.nz

Veterinary Associates Takanini Quality affordable care for your pets 09 299 8250