Measures aimed at easing Lake Rd traffic congestion around the Belmont shops include a proposed two-hour clearway during the morning peak.
Businesses on the west side of Lake Rd between Bayswater Ave and Egremont St face having around a dozen streetside parking
spaces removed from use between 7am and 9am on weekdays, to accommodate 100m of northbound clearway.
Other proposals in a draft plan include moving a busy bus stop on the other side of Lake Rd from the slip road to sit directly beside the main thoroughfare.
Eyes on the summit
Auckland Transport (AT) initially suggested the clearway on the western side of Lake Rd apply from 8am to 9am.
But when it outlined eight proposed measures to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board last week, board members backed a
To page 6
Cross purposes... Participants in the Easter Friday Procession of Witness, led by Chief Petty Officer Mark Sawyer, resisted the temptations of Victoria Rd on their way to Takarunga’s summit. More photos, pages 10-11.
‘Big dogs’ and local rivals defeated in Takapuna
Cool under pressure... TGS captain Hosea Teasia was named MVP at the national secondary schools volleyball tournament
Takapuna Grammar volleyball captain Hosea Teasia says winning the school’s first New Zealand secondary schools championship has shown the team what dedication and teamwork can achieve. “It’s something we’ll never forget.”
TGS, the tournament fourth seed, beat old rivals Rangitoto College in the boys’ final at nationals to claim the Kohitere Shield in Palmerston North at the end of March.
Five Takapuna players were named in the tournament team: Theo Andrade, Caue Dornelas, Jesda Hong, Caleb Wilson and Hosea, who was also selected as tournament MVP.
The Year 13 student says the senior core of the group started off together in division three – “learning from every challenge and improving every year”.
“We’ve been playing together for the last five years, achieving rewards along the way, like being Auckland Junior Champions, and in our senior years, placing in the top four for three consecutive years.”
He credited coach Tristan Hegglun’s belief in the team and hard work for shaping their success.
Hegglun says growing belief was what earned the boys their gold medals.
The coach has been with TGS since 2013, building the sport from a start-up to coming fifth at nationals in 2018. “We’ve been consistently a team that makes the quarter finals,” he says of the years since.
“Once we go there – that was the achievement,” he said of the previous attitude.
After a semi-final loss and fourth place last year, the team discussed what it needed to push on this year.
“It was more a case of belief,” says Hegglun, who says the players have a good skill base, with many involved in Harbour representative and club teams.
After a good run in the opening rounds and
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Grammar volleyballers’ march to national triumph
Archie Somerville-Ryan.
beating Hillcrest High School of Hamilton in a quarter-final, the big hurdle this year was again in the semi, when TGS came up against Tauranga Boys’ College, a team unbeaten in three years.
“We dropped the first set, but then won the next three sets,” said Hegglun.
Beating the highly fancied “big dogs” was a confidence boost going into the final.
The slow-starting 3-1 winning margin was repeated against familiar foe Rangitoto College, who had pipped TGS in the Auckland schools final.
Hosea’s “cool and calm” captaincy, game reads and experience of being in the top team since Year 10, were important in
helping drive self-belief, said Hegglun.
A strong team culture, with a supportive bench that brought the energy from the sideline, was also vital.
Good crowd support came from other North Shore schools: Westlake Boys High and Rosmini College.
With seven of this year’s team of 12 being in their final year at TGS and two in Year 12, next year it will draw heavily on the Year 11s coming through.
A big player pool makes Hegglun confident the sport will remain in good heart.
More than 200 students play volleyball at TGS, across boys and girls and competitive and social teams.
The girls’ team placed ninth at nationals. “It’s exploded,” says Hegglun of the rise in popularity, putting this down partly to social media showing students options outside the traditional Commonwealth sports. It also opens up pathways, with some players expected to explore their options for the likes of US college scholarships.
With the school season over, a number of the seniors have been trialling for North Harbour under-19 selection for the inter-provincial championships being held in Wellington over King’s Birthday weekend in June.
New Zealand U20 places are also up for grabs.
National champions... Back Row: Emily Somerville-Ryan (manager), Tristan Hegglun (head coach), Theo Andrade, Jack Watts, Ruben Newton, Jesda Hong, Caue Dornelas, Aidan Faulke, Felix Warringsholz, Samuel Williams (Assistant Coach). Front Row: Thomas Gaskin, Caleb Wilson, Hosea Teasia (Captain), Cash Gibson,
Underdone North Shore meets Takapuna in early derby
Hoping for a fourpeat…Donald Coleman leading Shore onto the field in 2025 for its third sucessive championship win
North Shore Rugby Club premiers go into a red hot local derby away against Takapuna this weekend slightly undercooked, after a bye in the first round and opponents Mahurangi defaulting in the second.
“Its been a bit different – not ideal,” said Shore head coach Jason Ross.
But Shore’s quality fundamentals mean the lack of recent match play shouldn’t influence the outcome too much.
Shore has won the championship for the last three years and has only lost to Takapuna once in that time.
And the premiers are back with essentially the same side as in 2025. The only key player missing from last season’s championship lineup is prop Sione Mafileo who is playing in France.
However, fullback Hunter Rice is under a cloud, recovering from a lower leg injury, and may be a doubtful starter on Saturday. Outside back Tima Fainga’anuku is with the Blues wider squad and will be missing from initial rounds but should be back for the finals.
Donald Coleman, with more than 100 games for the premiers, will once again captain the side. Veteran lock Rex Pollock, another club centurion, is back for the 2026 season. Prop Sam Davies returns as well,
North Shore player makes NZ under-20s
North Shore Rugby Club’s JD van der Westhuizen has made the New Zealand under-20 team.
A product of the outstanding Westlake Boys High School sides of recent years, van der Westhuizen was part of the team that lost the national schools final to Southland Boys’ in 2023.
In 2024 he made the New Zealand secondary schools team and in 2025 was
included in the Blues under-20 squad.
Van der Westhuizen, a winger, played for Shore last season in its championship winning under-21 side.
The New Zealand under-20s will contest the world under-20 championship in South Africa, playing three matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, Port Elizabeth against Australia, Argentina and South Africa from 28 April to 10 May.
giving steel to the pack.
Shore also has the luxury of having two of the best first five-eighths in the Harbour competition – Oscar Koller and Cam Howell – in its side. Both are likely to be on the field against Takapuna.
Ryan describes the talented duo in the same team as “hybrid 10s...They are pivotal to our squad.”
One of Shore’s trump cards is its fitness. The side began off-season training pre-Christmas under the guidance of the club’s fitness trainer Dean Rice.
“Dean is a massive part of what we are,” said Ross. Shore started regular-season training at the end of January and did an “extra day up north” doing an army skills and confidence course, he said.
The fitness showed through in the team’s pre-season matches which culminated in a 62-12 thumping of Auckland champions Ponsonby.
Ross expects the usual tough match against Takapuna. “They’re well coached and have started strongly... they’ve got a couple of additional players from outside the area.”
• Shore plays Takapuna at Onewa Domain, on Saturday 11 April at 2.45 pm. Takapuna versus North Shore premier 2s is at 1pm.
Wednesday 29 April 10am - 4pm
Top prospect... JD van der Westhuizen
Mischa follows Olympics with World Cup podium finish
Bayswater freeskier Mischa Thomas will return home from Europe next week having this month secured her first podium finish in her first season competing in the sport’s World Cup series.
“It’s the best possible way to end the [northern] season,” said proud dad Daniel Thomas. The tight-knit Thomas family watched the cup event in Switzerland live-streamed on You Tube at 3am.”We texted her and she was pretty excited,” he said.
Mischa, now 18, placed second in the freeski halfpipe event in Silvaplana, Switzerland. She placed eighth in the same event at her first Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy, in February – as a 17-year-old.
She is one of a group of top-performing young Kiwi snow sports competitors who have lifted New Zealand to rank third in the world Freeski Park and Pipe Nations Cup, behind the United States and Canada.
Finley Melville Ives, aged 19, led the way, becoming freeksi halfpipe world champion on points, despite a broken collarbone at the Olympics keeping him out of the final World Cup event, which was won by compatriot Luke Harrold, aged 17, in his first World Cup win.
Daniel Thomas said his daughter was looking forward to getting home after many months of travel. From Switzerland she went to Sweden and this week she will be in Japan for an exhibition event and promotional work. She was planning to head on to train in the United States, but lack of snow there has brought her return forward.
“She’ll be spending a bit of time in the gym and down in Wanaka on the airbag,” said Thomas, referring to a jumps training aid.
The former Takapuna Grammar School student has for years spent much of her winters training and competing out of Wanaka, where Snow Sports New Zealand is based.
The organisation’s park and pipe head coach Tom Willmott says the sport is in good heart, with more than a dozen athletes contributing to New Zealand’s rise up the ranks. “We have the strongest ever depth in the team in terms of size and strength, and also breadth across the genders and disciplines.”
Willmott says the athletes now go into a reset phase as the focus shifts to the next Winter Olympics in 2030 and beyond.
Daniel Thomas says opportunities for his daughter have opened up since the Olympics and taking part in the World Cup series, with more competition invitations. She plans to take part in X Games events.
The family – comprising Mischa’s triplet sisters who also finished at TGS last year, plus an older brother and sister and her parents
– all travelled to the Olympics, which he said was the first family trip they had all had together in years.
Watching his daughter soar into the air, Thomas says: “That first run at the Olympics I didn’t breathe.”
“We’re so proud of her and so glad that’s she enjoying herself. It’s great to see her so happy – she’s loving it.”
Soaring to silver... Bayswater’s Mischa Thomas celebrates her World Cup series success in Switzerland this month
Draft plan includes new bus stops and lane rejig
Key changes in Auckland Transport’s draft Belmont plan... 1. Northbound clearway at morning peak to create longer lane merge. 2. Separate lanes at Bayswater Ave. 3. Left-turn slip lane from Williamson Ave removed. 4. Bus stop relocated and space converted to parking. 5. New 814 bus stop created, along with short left-turn lane. 6. New 805 bus stop. 7. Pedestrian crossing straightened; exit from service road made left-turn-only. 8. Lane-merge formalised.
From page 1
longer restriction. Other than a dairy and a laundromat, most of the businesses are not open before 9am.
The aim of the clearway is to prevent northbound traffic back-ups caused by the reduction to one northbound lane so close to the intersection.
A clearway will give vehicles more time to merge from two lanes to one beyond the School Rd turn-off.
Longer term, clearways at evening or weekend peaks may also be considered.
AT says it will consult with businesses mid-year and then proceed to detailed design. Traffic lights will also be reassessed.
Six car parks are tagged for permanent removal from the car park on the slip road on the eastern side of Lake Rd and on Williamson Ave to accommodate relocated bus stops for the 814 and 805 routes.
Members questioned AT staff on losing parks, but generally accepted the rationale for relocating the 814 stop to beside Lake Rd. This takes buses off the slip road and allows removal of the slip lane left from Williamson Ave onto Lake Rd, which is favoured as a safety measure.
Changes for turning and straight through lanes from Bayswater Ave and Williamson Ave are also proposed (see map) to ease confusion and improve flow.
The board asked AT to add several extra P60 spaces on Williamson Ave for shoppers, given several parks on the southern side of the road will be lost with the creation of a new 805 bus stop.
It is proposed that the 805, which runs between Devonport and Belmont, will go further north to loop through Westwell Rd or Winscombe St, then Seacliffe Ave and Williamson Ave before its return journey. It currently loops through School Rd and
the slip road.
The changes are part of a “quick wins” plan for Lake Rd pushed by the previous local board, seeking lower-cost ways of making improvements on the congested corridor.
Money tagged for more extensive engineering work depends on longer-term transport budgets, with delivery far from guaranteed.
“Quick win” changes have already been implemented near Hauraki Corner, by extending the two northbound Lake Rd lanes to start back near Onepoto Rd.
Member Gavin Busch was pleased AT had adopted many suggestions. Member Garth Ellingham asked if a T2/bus lane south might not be possible, to encourage public transport and car-pooling, but the idea was ruled out by senior transport engineer Doris Wong. “For a bus lane we would need to look at the entire corridor,” she said. “But we don’t have the space.”
Back behind the wheel
Back behind the wheel
Three weeks after handing in his keys, Terence was back behind the wheel of another Scania. His wife still won’t let him forget she was right, nor that he had the shortest retirement she’s ever heard of.
For 15 years, the 66-year-old had driven heavy haulage, commanding a 500hp Scania truck. It was the kind of career that became a lifestyle. But inside the cab, his body was telling him to stop.
Years ago, Terence had crashed a motorcycle high up in the Hakataramea Pass, blown off the road by high winds. He severely damaged his left knee. Even after a while, the joint never felt quite right.
Driving a truck isn’t like driving a car. The clutch is heavy. The gearbox demands constant work from your left leg, up, down, up, down, shift after shift, hour after hour. For Terence, every push sent a reminder through his knee and ankle.
“I was exhausted,” he admits. “Loss of mobility, loss of sleep. I just felt beaten.”
One stormy night, after a team meeting, Terence had finally had enough. He climbed out of his truck, handed in his keys, and walked away from the career he loved.
“I thought, ‘What do I do now?’”
At home, his wife had been reading about Koru FX, a natural cream made in Rangiora. She ordered him a bottle.
“I wasn’t interested,” Terence laughs. “I thought it would be like everything else I’d tried. But she insisted.”
The bottle sat unopened for days. Then one morning, with nothing to lose, Terence applied it to his knee. The cream absorbed quickly with a pleasant peppermint scent, not sticky, not stinking like a rugby locker room.
“I noticed it took the edge off,” he says. “But I wasn’t convinced.”
That afternoon, an old mate rang. Word had gotten around that Terence had hung up his keys. His friend needed someone to cover a shift and the truck had an 18-speed Road Ranger gearbox.
“For those not in trucking,” Terence explains, “a Road Ranger requires heavy, constant clutch work. The same thing that did me in.”
“I thought, ‘Perfect,’” Terence grins. “If this cream is useless, I’ll know by tonight. Then I can write to the company and tell them so.”
He climbed into the cab. Pushed the clutch. The knee responded.
“I did a full day’s work,” he says, still amazed. “Got out at the end of the shift and could move freely. No seizing. Nothing.”
Instead of a complaint, Terence sent Koru Nutrition his story.
What makes Koru FX different is its triple-action formula. The blend of 16 natural oils, including mānuka, arnica, and black pepper, work synergistically. Warming oils help the ingredients penetrate deep, while peppermint provides fast-acting support. Arnica and calendula then deliver long-lasting comfort.
The retirement he thought was forced upon him has been postponed. He’s back doing what he loves, commanding the Scania on the roads he knows best. These days, Koru FX is part of his morning routine before every shift.
“My wife won’t let me forget she was right,” he laughs. “But I don’t mind. I’m back in the truck.”
TGS prepares to mark centenary
Registrations have opened for Takapuna Grammar School’s centenary commemorations at Easter next year.
“This is a special moment for Takapuna Grammar School,” principal Mary Nixon said. “We look forward to welcoming back everyone who has been part of our story and celebrating both our history and who we are today.”
A book, Takapuna Grammar School – Celebrating 100 Years , has been commissioned, and other merchandise is now available to mark the occasion.
The school has also put out a call for more memorabilia to put on display, including early uniforms and caps, which will be returned.
TGS was founded in February 1927 as the North Shore’s first co-educational secondary school, with 218 students accommodated in its original brick building. The roll has grown to more than 2200 students.
The school’s early years were challenging, with the first headmaster, C.M. Littlejohn, describing teaching conditions as “arduous” as construction work continued.
The original building is still the centrepiece of the school, with earthquake strengthening and a major restoration completed in 2020.
• Details on registration and other centenary information can be found at takapuna.school. nz/centenary.
Stanley Bay sticks with acting head for now
Helen Pelham will continue as Stanley Bay School’s acting principal for the immediate future.
Pelham took over the head job after the school’s previous principal Emma Tolmie went on extended leave in 2025 and then
resigned last December.
The school board said Pelham was “doing an excellent job”.
The school would begin recruiting for a permanent principal later this year, the board said.
Watts loses Energy in Cabinet tweaks
North Shore MP Simon Watts lost the Energy portfolio in National’s Cabinet reshuffle last week. The role went to more senior minister Simeon Brown at a time when the Government is weighing sensitive decisions
about fuel supply.
Watts picks up Brown’s Minister for Auckland portfolio, in addition to keeping his other roles in local government and revenue.
Driveway practice helps young archer hit national target
A young archer who practices in his family’s Stanley Point driveway won the under-14 title at the North Island Youth Archery Championships held in Tauranga.
Jingming Song (11) also won bronze in the Mixed Under-14 and Under-16 individual matchplay events, and won the Hutton Team Trophy with partner William Chen in the mixed team event. Jingming also achieved a personal best score of 636 in the championships last month.
Jingming’s father, Edwin, says he always
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wanted to try archery as a boy in China. After emigrating to New Zealand and Devonport 10 years ago, he saw an advertisement for the North Shore Archery Club. Two years ago he signed up with Jingming.
Jingming quickly showed more potential than his father. “I’m more famous than him now,” says Jingming, who rose quickly through the ranks, representing New Zealand at under-14 level in a series against Australia last year. He turned 11 during the competition.
After his recent North Island win he has a series of college, regional and national competitions in his sights. He also hopes to make the trans-tasman team again in 2027.
The former Devonport Primary pupil, who now goes to ACG college in Parnell, practices two to three times a week at North Shore Archery Club in Wairau Valley, supplemented by practice on the range at home.
“We’ve got a long driveway with a carport,” says Edwin. “So there’s a little set-up in the backyard.”
Take a bow... Eleven-year-old Jingming Song in action at the North Island youth champs in Tauranga (left) and with teammate William Chen and their mixed-team trophy
Onward and upward for faithful on climb to Takarunga
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More than 150 people took part in the Good Friday Procession of Witness up Takarunga, many on foot after gathering at the band rotunda on Windsor Reserve, others riding in the Devonport Community House van and other vehicles, before joining in singing and prayer at the summit. Some participants took a turn carrying the cross (above). Opposite page (clockwise from top left): Margaret Young and Elizabeth McBeth; Dayle Smith with daughters and fellow Warriors fans Skylar and Harmony; Margaret Handisides; Maaike and Bram Water.
Bayswater Panthers take honours in annual
Fifteen teams fought out the annual Battle of the Schools at the Belmont Primary fair, with the Bayswater Panthers securing bragging rights for the next year.
Fun at the fair… (clockwise from left) Belmont Primary pupils Sienna Edmonds, Poppy Everist, Teagan Walker, Elodie Hick and Harper Crause; the Belmont ‘Beasts’ team get ready for the Battle; Justin Pyae Hlyan and Joaquin Bechayda try inflatable jousting; and Tui Posimani competing in the ‘Leaky Bucket’.
Battle of the Schools at Belmont Primary fair
Buddies... Avia Posimani and Mia Pope.
Right: The triumphant Bayswater Panthers
(members: Marnie Shapiro, Grace Yao, Mia Matairangi, Caleb Donaldson, Kaia Kelis, Matilda Loehr, Wetini Catterall, Abraham Parker, Elliot Oxnam, Zohar Cohen-Wolf, Denis Vasilev, Laukaiva Vaotuua-Key and Lucy Faulkner).
Below: Indie England, Zoe Clerk, Beau England and Stella Byrne with chicks which were one of the star attractions at the fair
TGS athletes win big at North Island champs
Five Takapuna Grammar School students representing North Harbour were crowned North Island champions at the recent North Island Secondary Schools Athletics Championships held in Papakura.
Senior grade competitor Connor Brady and junior Finn Lazzari won two golds each, with an intermediate Romey Jewell and juniors Kate O’Connell and Jake Tuck also topping podiums.
Four other students added to the school’s total haul of 19 medals.
The spread of medal winners from three Year 9 students through to Year 13 underlines the sport’s strength locally, with all but Lazzari also training with Takapuna Athletics Club. TGS looks set to be well represented at the 2026 national Secondary School champs in December.
For two competitors, the off-season has not yet begun, with rising runner Romey and established allrounder Connor heading to Brisbane this month to compete at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships. Connor takes good form into competing in decathlon, having late last month also defended his national under-18 men’s decathlon title at the New Zealand Combined Events Championships, which doubled as the Auckland championships, meaning he picked up both regional and national titles. Last year he won the U17 decathlon in Australia, setting a championship points record. He has hopes of taking a successful age-grade step-up and has the NZ U18 record in his sights.
Two other local resident members of the Takapuna Athletics Club shone at the Combined Events meeting held at Mt Smart over two days. Student Kate O’Connell from TGS made an excellent debut in the U16 pentathlon, securing gold across its five disciplines for regional and national honours.
Belmont resident Melissa Karl won double heptathlon titles, competing with strength and consistency across its seven events in the women’s masters 40-44-year-old category.
NISS result details.--
Juniors: Finn Lazzari, 1st high jump and triple jump and 2nd long jump; Kate O’Connell, 1st high jump; Jake Tuck, 1st pole vault, 3rd 200m hurdles; Erik Havranek, 2nd 200m hurdles and pole vault.
Intermediate: Romey Jewell, 1st 400m, 2nd 4x400m relay, 3rd 200m and 4x100m relay; Zsolna Schumeky, 2nd long jump; Paige Burrows, 3rd 4x100m relay; Alex Hallie, 3rd discus.
Senior: Connor Brady, 1st shot put and long jump, 2nd 100m hurdles, 3rd javelin.
Top performers... (clockwise from top) Romey Jewell, who won the intermediate girls’ 400m at the North Island Secondary Schools Championships; the bronze-winning North Harbour intermediate girls’ 4x100m relay team, with Romey second from right and Paige Burrows at far right; Connor Brady, who won the senior boys’ shot put and long jump; Erik Havranek, who was second in the junior boys’ 200m hurdles and pole vault; and Jake Tuck, who won the junior boys’ pole vault and came third in the 200m hurdles.
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Rusty sign a memento of Devonport’s milk-bar heyday From the Museum
The Shelma Milk Bar was a Devonport institution for decades. Devonport Museum chair David Verran traces the history related to a metal sign on display at the museum.
Visitors to Devonport Museum often stop at a sign, just by the door to our administration and storage area, advertising ice cream.
The enamel-on-metal sign measuring 58.5cm by 86.5cm is described on our database as “worn and rusty”. The details were entered into the database in May 2008.
Long-time Devonport residents will recall the Shelma Milk Bar at 71 Victoria Road, between Devonia Hall and Fleet Street.
Shelma Milk Bars (1961) Ltd was registered under the Companies Act in 1961. Street directories and telephone directories of the time show the milk bar retained the name from 1961 to around 1988.
It is doubtful they sold “Shelma” brand ice cream. Prior to the Shelma Milk Bar, in the late 1950s there was the Wickham Milk Bar on that site and before that, in the mid-1950s, the James Scott Milk Bar.
A search of street directories from the 1950s back into the 1930s failed to locate any reference to a “Shelma” anywhere in Devonport.
But a search of newspapers in the 1930s reveals Shelma first appearing as the name for a Devonport shop in October 1933. At that time the shop was a Devonport contact point for tickets to children’s and other shows. Later in the 1930s it was given as a contact point for a swimming carnival. In 1937 it was known as “Shelma Confectionery”.
Elsie May Spilsted (c1893-1962) operated a confectionery shop at 71 Victoria Road from at least 1930, and she may be the origin of the name “Shelma”. She was later joined by Emmeline Alice Keegan (1899-1990) to form Spilsted and Keegan. Spilsted is buried in Waikaraka Cemetery, alongside Keegan. • Do you have any memories of the Shelma Milk Bar? Send to news@devonportflagstaff. co.nz
Two a penny... The “Shelma” icecream sign from the Devonport Museum, and (inset) a photo of the Shelma Milk Bar recently shared online along with memories of milkshakes and the venue’s jukebox
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Green light given for smaller skatepark on courts area
A scaled-back skate facility at Woodall Park has been approved by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.
The new plan sites the skatepark on part of the concrete tennis courts next to Devonport Squash Club on Wairoa Rd, instead of on open green space next to the BMX pump track.
The change of location was investigated after it was discovered last December that putting a skatepark on green space at Woodall Park fell outside what was allowed under its 1997 Reserve Management Plan.
The existing concrete courts had the potential to accommodate a skate facility of 850sqm, an officers report to the board said.
The proposed area would take in one tennis court and the cricket nets on the boundary with the Waitematā Golf Course.
“The tennis court is no longer fit for purpose due to surface sloping,” the report said, and the cricket nets were under-utilised.
The facility replaces the current skatepark at Ngataringa Park, where ongoing maintenance costs led to the investigation of a new location.
Board chair Trish Deans said the latest incarnation was not a big area.
It would be for local skaters. “We do not want to send a message to the public that it is a destination skatepark,” she said.
Member Terence Harpur said the new design would still provide an accessible skatepark “for kids and families and the youth of Devonport”.
Member George Wood remained bemused that in initial investigations “senior officers of this council” had said that a skatepark could be built in open space.
Council area operations manager Eloi Fonseca said Auckland Council’s legal team confirmed that the 1997 Reserve
Court case... the spot earmarked for a scaled-down Woodall Park skatepark
Management Plan was operative, which meant the location had to change. No evidence had been found in council archives of amendments to the plan that would a bar a skate facility at the new location.
Concerns about noise were previously raised by residents in properties adjacent to the concrete courts.
Noise compliance would be carried out as part of the new design and resource
consent, the report said. Deans wanted a lower-noise surface as a priority.
Some of the site was used as a landfill “before 1940 and through to the 1970s” and had contaminated soil which would need to be removed before any construction, the report said
Site investigations and new public consultation will take place until June, with building over the summer of 2026-2027.
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Week two of the North Harbour Rugby competition has only just finished and it’s already turning into a debacle. Takapuna beat Silverdale premiers 80-5 in the first weekend of competition while Takapuna reserves
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Enrolment at our school is governed by an enrolment scheme, details of which are available on the school website www.stanleybay.school.nz
We are now inviting applications from out-of-zone students. Currently, we have limited spaces available across all year levels, which will be considered on an individual basis.
Multiple out-of-zone enrolment ballots will be held throughout 2026, depending on the date of application. Parents will be informed of the outcome within three school days of the ballot being held. If you live within our school zone and have not yet indicated your intention to enrol your child, please contact the school as soon as possible to assist us with planning. All enrolment enquiries can be sent to: office@stanleybay.school.nz
beat their Silverdale counterparts 101-0. In the same round, North Shore reserves beat Kumeu, 89-0, and last weekend toppled East Coast Bays 41-19.
Also last weekend, Mahurangi premiers defaulted to North Shore in what was meant to be Shore’s first game of the season.
After a bye in the first round, Shore goes into round three against Takapuna this weekend having played only pre-season games, the last several weeks ago.
A mate of mine used to regularly go to all Shore’s home games at Vauxhall Rd and have a beer in the clubrooms afterwards.
He now generally skips the first round except for the local derby against Takapuna. Many others must find the cricket scores and defaulted matches frustrating and unfulfilling for spectators.
Fewer sideline supporters mean less money across the bar for drinks and food, which flows on to having less in the club coffers to spend on the likes of junior programmes – the foundation of grassroots rugby. It’s clear the top four to six teams in North Harbour should join an Aucklandwide competition.
Auckland Transport is entering an Orwellian world of double-speak with its latest supposedly quick-fix options for traffic flow improvements on Lake Rd.
It’s been a year since AT first put forward its list of “quick-win” options for Lake Rd. And yes, they included an investigation into a
clearway in Belmont at the morning peak. A refined list of options has now been presented to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board. It appears the affected businesses will now be consulted, with no set time for introducing any options.
Whatever Auckland Transport calls it, there’s no quick fix or quick win happening here. The process is dragging on like a crawl up Lake Rd in afternoon school and Navy traffic.
Just get on with it, I hear road users say.
My first editor had a real knack of bringing keen young journalists back to earth. He once told us (me, aged 20, and a fellow cadet a year younger) that “You blokes probably think you’ll spend all your time interviewing top sports people and movie stars. But most people aren’t that interesting. Most of what you do is report on mundane things. And remember people will criticise whatever you write.”
But sometimes I come back from an interview that was so interesting that time has flashed by, and I can’t help thinking, “That wasn’t really work”.
Such was the fascinating hour or so I spent with 1960s Antarctic veteran Frank Graveson (Flagstaff, 27 March).
Frank got in touch afterwards: “Based on the number of embarrassing salutations from friends and greetings from total strangers, you produced a very interesting article. Thank you.” Believe me Frank, you were a star. The pleasure was all mine.
Navy diving expert steps into RSA post
The Devonport RSA has a new president, Commander Greg Camburn, who lives locally and runs a Navy unit focused on diving, hydrography and mine counter-measures.
He takes up the voluntary role from Commander Muzz Kennett, who recently retired from the Navy after 51 years service and has moved to Whitianga.
Kennett (interviewed on pages 24-25) spent five years leading the RSA, helping plan its commemorative services and driving a welfare and youth focus.
Camburn (right) will be the new face for the organisation at the Anzac Day Parade on 25 April.
He lives in Devonport, with wife Anna and three children.
Camburn joined the service in 1990 and after officer training served across a wide range of ships before specialising in advanced diving and mine-warfare training, here and overseas.
Leadership roles followed, including command of the operational diving team and being made Defence Force Director of Diving, representing New Zealand on internatonal interoperability issues.
In May last year he assumed command of HMNZS Matataua, the specialised landbased Littoral Warfare Unit.
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Great service but AT plans to chop stops
We finally have a really good bus service (806) along Callope Road. AT now proposes to remove many of the bus stops along this route. If you use the 806 bus, but have not received a letter from them about this, contact them at ATEngagement@at.govt.nz (reference Calliope Rd) before 15 April to give them your feedback.
The information they have provided so far is that the stops opposite 108 and outside 74, 92, 114, 115 and 134 Calliope Rd will be removed. They plan new ones outside 107 and 122. There is no information about the rest of the route in the letter we received. Miriam Beatson
No bottom trawling in our Gulf
Devonport residents have enjoyed the harbour and Hauraki Gulf for generations – it is our back yard. The environmental, spiritual and cultural values of the Gulf, and maritime adventures, sea based and social, are part of our DNA.
Destructive bottom trawling is unacceptable in the Hauraki Gulf. Commercial fishing must not take over this resource so that it is taken from our grandchildren. It has been proven that bottom trawling destroys every aspect of life on the sea floor.
The Devonport Peninsula Senior Forum requires that long standing guardianship of, and respect for, the maritime environment of our Shore community continues. Our politicians, both national and local, must make sure this happens.
The Hauraki Gulf is recognised as a world class facility for sailing and well as other recreational activities. Bottom trawling up-
sets the ecological balance. If it is allowed to continue there will be fewer and fewer fish able to grow, reproduce and keep this cycle of life growing.
Auckland University scientists have demonstrated that the gulf is “dying” – the layers of sea life are struggling to cope with the effects of bottom trawling. We are known as the last country in the South Pacific to allow bottom trawling. Even Australians don’t do it!
It is a no-brainer. It must not proceed. The Hauraki Gulf is doomed without a positive sustainable fishing policy for these treasured waters. Auckland MPs of all parties must act. Local MP and minister Simon Watts should co-ordinate an Auckland MP “coalition”, to kill the proposal now.
Bill Rayner, Wendy Bailey and Kathleen Farquhar, Devonport Peninsula Senior Forum
I agree with Alec Hill (“Shouldn’t North Head walk be restored?”, Flagstaff letters, 27 March).
The lower path right around North Head has been closed off for a very long time. Over many months I have taken visitors expecting the path to surely be open but it remains closed with nothing obvious happening.
We cannot accept this as a permanent situation.
J. Leighton
It took over 100 years for the Navy to finally vacate the North Head Historic Reserve, so its recent purchase of a $4.2 million former church in the vicinity (Flagstaff Notes, 27 March) will make an admirable replacement – provided that it is not a gift retirement home for the retiring Defence Minister Judith Collins. It will be an excellent vantage point for reviewing the new aircraft included in the Defence budget of $4.2 billion – provided they’re not redirected to the Iran conflict.
Bruce Tubb
OceanFun Publishing Ltd
Parish aligns with conservative view on women’s role
Devonport is a community that prides itself on being progressive, inclusive and egalitarian. It is therefore deeply concerning to witness a quiet but profound shift occurring at Holy Trinity that challenges these core values – specifically regarding the equality of women.
While Vicar Chris Murphy reported at the church AGM (Flagstaff, 13 March) on the good work of a female warden, he is quietly introducing a theological framework known as “complementarianism”, which doesn’t believe in the full equality of women as it is understood in modern New Zealand.
This shift is hidden in plain sight within the specialised language used by the speakers the vicar promotes. Holy Trinity women are currently being encouraged to attend a “Biblical Theology Workshop” on 25 April by US author Nancy Guthrie. Guthrie is a prominent face of The Gospel Coalition (TGC), an organisation whose “Confessional Statement” explicitly states that men and women are “not simply interchangeable”. By promoting her, Murphy is quietly aligning our parish with a worldview where a woman’s role – both in
the church and in her own home – is defined by submission to male authority. TGC foundational documents state that God ordains “the husband exercising headship... and the wife submitting to her husband”. This is the “complementarian” view Murphy is quietly introducing.
The alignment is becoming undeniable.
On 15 March, Murphy brought in guest preacher Man Long Cheung from EV Church, a congregation whose own policy states: “The Bible makes it clear that in church leadership... the roles of men and women are not interchangeable”. While Murphy avoids using these terms from the pulpit, he has confirmed this position privately.
After months of inquiry in 2024, the vicar eventually admitted that he does not believe a woman should lead a church. The fact that this conviction remains hidden from the congregation – while he actively aligns our parish with the people and the institutions that enforce it – is a profound failure of transparency.
Why, you might ask, did a minister who
holds these restrictive views come to a church previously led by a very capable and well-loved woman, Charmaine Braatvedt? Why did Murphy not reveal his position regarding women in authority to the committee considering his appointment? In modern NZ, we shouldn’t need to ask vicars whether they believe women are fully equal – yet here we are.
How do these ultra-conservative views fit within a community like Devonport, which is progressive, inclusive and egalitarian? The answer has been hinted at in his sermons: Murphy appears to be on a mission to “fix” Holy Trinity, “fix” the NZ church and “fix” our society.
I speak out not to cause further division, but because I believe the Devonport community deserves a church that reflects its own values of inclusion, transparency and equality.
My hope is that Holy Trinity might once again become the expansive, welcoming and community-focused parish that so many of us loved and supported for decades.
David Allis
Stage-managed support for vicar, but pain and anguish for many
We also attended the 8 March Holy Trinity AGM and, while your 13 March article accurately captures the stage-managed support for Vicar Chris Murphy, it missed the profound sense of loss felt by many in the room and in the wider community.
You saw the “AGM backs vicar” – we felt the pain and anguish of the 70-plus adults and their children who have withdrawn from Holy Trinity Devonport since the late-2023 arrival of Murphy at our parish church.
You saw Murray Spackman’s “call of support for Murphy” as a motion “which came from the floor” – we saw a substantial pre-prepared motion ushered through, avoiding normal general meeting protocols. There was no checking that supporters were
on the parish roll, no opportunity for debate or disagreement, no counting of the hands raised in favour (amongst the choreographed acclaim), and no opportunity for attendees to vote no or abstain.
You saw five pre-submitted questions answered at the Sunday AGM – there were 10 others rejected by vestry late on Friday afternoon. General business questions were not permitted.
You saw the AGM addressing the church’s stance on welcoming the LGBTQ community – we saw a conservative UK vicar quoted, saying nothing clear about Holy Trinity Devonport’s stance. “Everybody is welcome” is meaningless when there is a “but” hidden behind it. The question about
LGBTQ safety was originally asked two years ago – this AGM finally learned the vicar’s opinion. Within these answers, his strongly held opinion became visible – gay people should be celibate (and otherwise ineligible for leadership). In 2026 Devonport? Really?
You saw the election of four vestry members (three new and one existing) – we saw the loss of four strong, capable, warm-hearted and hard-working women from vestry – joining the other vestry members, mainly women, who have resigned or stood down over the past two and a half years. We find this all deeply disturbing.
David and Annabelle Claridge, Paul Cane
Devonport should be concerned at departure from inclusion
Recent events at Holy Trinity Devonport, including the March AGM, signal a sharp departure from the inclusive values our parish once held.
Under the previous vicar, Charmaine Braatvedt, Holy Trinity was a broad, supportive community. Now it is being rebranded as a “reformed” church, driven by ultra-conservative doctrines that have resulted in the departure of more than 70 long-standing members.
Losing these “exiles” means losing the institutional memory and diversity of thought that anchor a community. While the church attracts new followers of these strict doctrines, the wider Devonport community should be concerned about what is being lost.
We have finally gained clarity on a long-standing concern: while LGBTQ+ people are told they are welcome, the church effectively condemns same-sex relationships by barring those within them from leadership or marriage. This “welcome” feels conditional and misleading, prioritising debatable theology over the actual safety and belonging of its members. For those of us who remember a parish where everyone truly belonged, this shift is heartbreaking.
Equally concerning is the vicar’s view against women in leadership. New Zealand has a proud history of gender equality in the Anglican Church, ordaining women since 1977 and electing the first female bishop in 1990. To see these hard-won values
abandoned, while questioners are labelled “troublemakers” and silenced, is more than a parochial concern. In the wake of national investigations into abuse in care and the failure of leadership to protect the vulnerable, we should expect transparency.
Will the wider community of Devonport be concerned that an Anglican version of Destiny Church has slipped into the neighbourhood?
Let’s see what happens next. More leaving? More gaslighting? More obfuscating? Let’s see Devonport, and New Zealand –what will happen with the infiltration of the new conservatives to the Anglican Church in Aotearoa?
Margaret Allis
Interview
Navy veteran and Devonport RSA leader sails off
Muzz Kennett arrived in Devonport as a Navy trainee in his teens and leaves after a long career and a stint with the RSA which has had its frustrations. He talks to Helen Vause.
As Muzz and Gail Kennett unpack and settle into their Whitianga house for the next chapter in their lives, they’ve made a promise to each other: They won’t be putting their hands up to volunteer for anything in their new hometown – yet. Or for as long as this departing Devonport couple can resist the temptation, given their long track record of community service here.
But Muzz (Maurice) Kennett has already made one exception to the vow of no public service while he’s settling into life in seaside Whitianga – happily accepting an invitation to be the guest speaker for the Anzac Day service this year.
As a retiring commander in the Navy and retiring president of the Devonport RSA, he had lots of ends to tie up and a lot of people to say goodbye to as he packed boxes in the last Navy house he’ll live in. He notes that he and Gail started out in Devonport in a Navy home and began to raise their children, Gareth and Kylie-Anne, there.
After they recently sold their own home, his lifelong employer again put a roof over their heads for their final days here.
The farewells went on for weeks, with a formal exit from the Navy and a handover in the RSA rooms. And then a big party at home one Saturday night.
The party was one the Kennetts and their friends will remember, he says. “What a night. After so many years here we had people from play centre, school, sports clubs, the Navy and across the generations. It was fantastic.”
That party turnout reflected the many parts of the community the couple were active in, whether coaching, taking a lead or just showing up to help out.
But although the local roots run deep, it was time to move on to their next chapter.
“It does feel a bit surreal. We have had a great life here but we’ve been planning to move to Whitianga for a while and now it’s time,” says the 67-year-old.
and boy...
was accepted for the Navy while at high school
Their first months in the house will be spent morphing a holiday home into a permanent retirement home, getting things shipshape for whatever is next.
Muzz leaves big shoes to fill. He turned up in Devonport as a boy, not yet 16, but keen to join the Navy. Even as a Boy Scout he’d been thinking of joining the services and then one day the Navy recruitment team came to Whangārei Boys’ High School. He was a fifth former and the opportunities he was hearing about that day struck the right
note with him. He sat the entrance exam, was accepted by the Navy as a weapons electrical mechanic and pretty shortly thereafter he was off on the bus to the big city.
Young Muzz Kennett presented himself at the Navy training establishment HMNZS Tamaki just two days before his 16th birthday. And in those days, he couldn’t qualify to start counting days in service until he was over 17. But he’d come, just the same.
Fifty years on, there is a photo of him at the Devonport RSA taken in February last
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Man
Muzz Kennett
Interview
to retirement of fishing and diving in Whitianga
year, cutting a cake with another member of his intake. Muzz was the youngest of that group of 180 boys.
Kennett says the Navy gave him a good career and by taking opportunities he’s had broad experience, from servicing electronics to teaching, training and management roles.
Later he took the path of a seaman officer career, with commands of two craft, HMNZS Kahu and then HMNZS Manawanui, the Navy’s diver tender for 30 years.
A highlight on that ship was a 2016 expedition to the Solomon Islands for Navy divers to remove explosive war remnants.
Closer to home, whenever Manawanui docked at her official home port in Whitianga, Kennett’s affections for that town grew.
With a life story with the theme of service and community running through every chapter, Kennett leaves the local RSA after five years as president, and with a hint of frustration about what could be achieved for veterans, but has yet to be.
While he says the core pillar of the organisation is the concept of serving all the veterans who have served us, he’s found it hard to reach them or to be able to meet the level of need he thinks could be out there unheard somewhere in the community. He notes that this is an issue for the RSA in many regions.
“We have now buried our last two World War II veterans, but there are lots of all ages who turn up at the Anzac commemoration but then we don’t see them again. Many of them we cannot get to join.
“We are trying to break down the image of being a bunch of old vets sitting around having a beer and talking about the war. ”
He points out that although the perception may be that veterans are old men, there are in fact many younger men and women
who qualify for the term because they have served.
Last year he says this branch of the RSA spent about $26,000 on support to veterans and also stepped up with practical support when asked.
Although that figure is typical of the annual spend, Kennett feels frustrated that they are not doing enough for the veterans or their widows.
“Times are tough out there but they are not looking for help from us.”
He was disappointed that a combined initiative last winter between North Shore
“This is really our time now. We have been working for 50 years.”
RSAs to provide a drop-in centre at the Takapuna Library didn’t thrive because only a handful of veterans came forward.
At the time the drop-in centre was set up, he was quoted as saying “we want families to say, ‘Dad, have you thought about asking for help?’”
He believes families and veterans in the region may not be aware of what they could be entitled to by way of support. Kennett and his team, including Gail, have been ready and waiting to step up and help veterans, whether they’re RSA members or not.
They’re offering mentoring, useful con-
tacts, advice and financial assistance. For some, that could just come in the form of taxi fares, for example.
“Maybe people around here don’t really need any help but it’s hard to believe that none of the veterans or their widows could do with a helping hand from time to time.”
Where veterans have been able to benefit from the assistance of the Devonport RSA, Kennett says it’s definitely a case of “bravo zulu” (well done, in naval signals) to Gail, who has been in the role of support advisor for the organisation.
“She has been totally devoted and everyone knows she has done a brilliant job. And the good work won’t stop just because Gail and I have gone.”
Kennett is heartened that a youth group has been getting established on his watch, looking for opportunities to volunteer and provide support in the community.
He’s hopeful the youth initiative will grow and bring in more young members. He hopes they will help to refresh the image of the RSA and start to show what it could become.
“The youth membership will grow in time. I think we have made progress but the wheel turns slowly and it will take time.”
The Kennetts’ last weeks in Devonport were busy days. In Whitianga, the newest RSA member in town is unpacking those boxes, but the ocean beckons.
Kennett is swapping duty for the fishing and diving, and getting out on the boat that drew him down there. “This is really our time now. We have been working for 50 years.” It’s time for a change of gear.
The Navy era is not quite over, however. Kennett is a Navy reserve for the next two years and could be called on to help out at any time. “It also means I can still wear my uniform.”
Bayswater dreaming: Plans for clubhouse take shape
The Takapuna Boating Club has begun the early stages of fundraising for an ambitious $5 million restoration of its landmark 150-year-old Bayswater clubhouse.
A Givealittle campaign has begun, its start timed for the official launch of a wider threephase plan which includes attracting major donors and commercial sponsors.
The club’s plan to restore the historic building were outlined to an invited audience in Takapuna last month. A slide show contained historic images and a vision of the restored exterior.
Club commodore Wendy Baker said the project was expected to stretch over several years.
Talks were already underway with groups who might be interested in space in the building, including the Takapuna Grammar Rowing Club, she said. Conversations with council were also being held about heritage grants and future plans around the marina area. The intention was to keep the community informed, with quarterly updates.
• Phase 1 is a goal to secure $500,000 by the end of the year to enable further work to begin. Media and public engagement is planned and grants are being sought. An event at the boathouse is being considered mid-year, which may be an open day. This phase will take 10 per cent of the total budget and include a building assessment, needs and feasibility study and fundraising.
• Phase 2 is construction work, expected to cost around $3.5 million and take 70 per cent of the budget.
• Phase 3 will be work on the interior, estimated to cost $1 million, taking the remainder of the budget. The fitout would
pave the way for a major hospitality tenant on the upper level and also include creating spaces for community meetings and mixeduse activities on the mid level, with boating use and a possible ice-cream shop beneath.
Baker said being able to improve the “sad state” of the building was something the club was committed to and had been made possible by legislation passed last year, enabling more commercial use.
Ray Welson, a former long-standing boating club member and Hauraki resident,
relayed a message from North Shore MP Simon Watts, who helped usher the law change through a five-year process.
Welson said his great-grandfather, who lived in Beresford St, was a member of the Bayswater Yachting Club (which became the Takapuna club). It first met in 1921 in his garage.
His great-grandfather helped transport materials when the already 50-year-old clubhouse building was barged to its current site in pieces, after an earlier life as a tannery.
All hands on deck... Spectators watch a regatta day in the 1930s. Right: After re-roofing and a repaint in 2011
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The vision... In front of an image of what a restored clubhouse might look like, Bayswater Restoration Governance Committee members (from left): Mark Wooster, Darren Moore, Wendy Baker, Barry Ward and Nicole DeSonier.
20 years ago from the Flagstaff files
• The “Duchess of Devonport”, North Shore Rugby Club life member Molly Eagles (86), kicks the first ball of the 2006 season.
• The Devonport Flagstaff wins a national award for community involvement for its production of a Devonport Community Calendar with David Kayrouz.
• North Shore City Council tells Wicked Wanda Smokehouse and Bar on Victoria Rd to remove images of scantily clad women with wings.
• National literary figure Christine Cole Catley and community beach warden Terry Jury win North Shore civic awards for service to the community.
• Henry Poor of Takapuna Grammar School wins double gold at the Maadi Cup - taking the Under-17 and Under-18 single sculls titles in the same day.
• A “tug of love” row erupts after Pete the cockatiel from Devonport Primary goes home with students during the school holidays, proves to be female and
lays some eggs. Parent Dave Miller says Pete should stay with new mate Pat, but Devonport Primary wants the bird back.
• The Devonport Community Board has been asked to erect a memorial statue to Sir Peter Blake, who was murdered in December 2005.
• Bayswater Ave is becoming a death trap and safety measures are needed, Bayswater Community Committee chair Peter McQueen tells the Devonport Community Board.
• The historic Victoria Theatre passes into North Shore City Council ownership for $1.55 million, after more than 70 per cent of 4500 submitters supported the purchase. Mayor George Wood, a critic of the purchase leading up to the vote, changes his mind and votes yes.
• Around 1000 people turn out for the Devonport Classic race at Ngataringa Bay.
• Sarah Burren, chair of the trust which fought to save the Victoria Theatre, is the
Flagstaff interview subject.
• The Electric Confectionaires are top of the bill at their first anniversary concert at Windsor Reserve. Other bands include The Earlybirds, Dionysus, White Birds and Lemons and the Koshercot Honeys.
• Cinzah Merkens and Jacob Milne put on a “two-dudes” exhibition at the Depot, with Merkens having done his paintings while recuperating from a broken back.
• North Shore premiers start the rugby season with a stuttering 15-7 win over Mahurangi.
• Resident Angela Ward mounts a campaign to retain Pat Hanly’s dove mural on the roof of a building at Mt Cambria community garden.
• Gordon James is made a life member of the RSA.
• Eleven-year-old Jacko Gill breaks a 27-year-old shotput record at the Auckland Athletics champs with a throw of 13.19m.
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Cricketers even the score in cross-code fundraiser
Team Cricket won the second annual “Shore Smash” T20 fundraiser, defeating 2025 winners Team Rugby.
Team Cricket came in determined to get their name on the board — and they did just that on a classic late-summer afternoon occasion at Devonport Domain.
The cricketers made a lively start, led by Sam Hinds, fresh off a premier century the previous weekend. He struck a quickfire 33 and was matched as top scorer by Rory Bessell.
Mike Olsen also enjoyed his return to “The D”, entertaining the crowd with a fluent 31 that included two fours and two “eights” under the unique Shore Smash rules.
Tendai Chitongo added 28, and young talent Raiha Jeory Reynolds showed composure beyond her years, anchoring the innings with 10, as Team Cricket posted a competitive total of 174.
For Team Rugby, Anna Peterson (2/19) and Mac Dalzell (2/26) were the pick of the
We’re looking for a confident, style-conscious salesperson to join our Devonport store Wednesday – Saturday (full-time) This is the perfect role for someone who brings energy, warmth, and a little sparkle to everything they do.
Love fashion, people, and creating an unforgettable in-store experience.
What makes you perfect for this role: You’re naturally engaging, effortlessly stylish, and know how to make customers welcome the moment they walk through the door. You’ve got a great eye for detail, a passion for sales, and you thrive in a boutique retail environment.
The role includes:
• Delivering exceptional, personalised customer service
• Styling our loyal customers and building genuine relationships
• Maintaining a beautiful, well-presented store
• Contributing to sales targets and team success
We’re looking for someone who is:
• Confident, positive, and polished
• Passionate about fashion and styling
• Reliable and ready to be part of the Sills Team
• Available Wednesday to Saturday full days
Well done… Team Cricket’s Mike Duncraft (left) accepts the congratulations of Team Rugby’s Grant McKenzie.
Code crackers... Both Shore Smash teams line up
PHOTOS: ROGER BRITTENDEN AND GILLIAN SCOTT
Still got it… Ben Stewart, who played 100 games for both North Shore rugby and cricket clubs, scored a century for Team Rugby in the Shore Smash
bowlers, keeping things tight and ensuring the chase would be within reach.
But Team Rugby found themselves in early trouble, with Team Cricket taking seven catches in the field.
Enter Ben Stewart. In a remarkable innings, Stewart took the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring over 100 and dragging Team Rugby back into contention in a thrilling chase that went down to the wire.
Despite his heroics, Team Cricket held their nerve to secure the win by around 20 runs.
Funds raised will go towards the redevelopment of former Devonport Bowling Club facilities, delivering much-needed female changing rooms to support both cricket and rugby.
Ton time... Max Clarke, North Shore’s cricketer of the year, scoring a century in February
The best of NSCC 2025-26
Award recipients at the recent North Shore Cricket Club senior prizegiving: Youth Female Bowling: Deanna Mathew; Youth Female Batting: Dorothea Waldron; J Finny Cup: Isabella Watson; Emerging Male Players Batting: Jack Jones; Emerging Male Players Bowling: Tobias ; 4th XI Batting: Connor Bessell; 4th XI Bowling: Matt Davies; 3rd XI Batting: Dom Aldous; 3rd XI Bowling: Connor Bessell; Jacobs Goodwin Clinch Grade Cricket Battler Award: Josh Yarnton; Reserves Batting: Kerry McMillan; Reserves Bowling: Elliot Griffiths; Grace Gooder – Most Female Wickets: Rishika Jaswal; Hilda Thompson – Highest Female Score: Dorothea Waldron; Clare Nicholson – Most Female Runs: Dorothea Waldron; Bev Brentall – Best Female All-Rounder:
Rishika Jaswal; Knox Cup – Premier Male Runs: Max Clarke; Vercoe Cup – Premier Male Wickets: Brandon Mavuta; Mr Pickwick – Premier Male Fielder: Daniel Middleton; Dacre Cup – Most Promising Male: Max Clarke; Winterbottom – Most Improved Male: Freddy Birch; D R Bennett – Male All-Rounder: Brandon Mavuta; Eileen Henderson – Most Male Wickets: Brandon Mavuta; Don Coleman – First Ton of the Season: Daniel Middleton; Harry Pitts – Highest Score: Max Clarke; Cam Maingay – They Turned the Match: Will Clarke; Ian Munro – Volunteer of the Year: Sarah Finnie; Legacy Award: Kevin Robinson; Verdun Scott Cup – Sportspersonship: Rory Bessell; Major Jacka Cup – Loyalty to Club and Team: Sam Hinds; B P Somerville – Cricketer of the Year: Max Clarke.
Ngataringa Tennis Club 2026 champions
Gage Volykine and Nicky Mules were the Ngataringa Tennis Club senior men’s and women’s champions for 2026. Full results below.
Men’s Singles Winner: Gage Volykhine; Runner-up: Martin Kalafat. Women’s Singles Winner: Nicky Mules; Runner-up: Mary Anne Clive. Mixed Doubles Winners: Chris White and Kirsty Gardyne; Runners-up: Allister Irving and Mary Anne Clive. Men’s Doubles Winners: Chris White and Josh Wilson; Runners-up: Gage Volyhine and Mark Chaddock. Women’s Doubles: Winners: Lisa Chaddock and Leigh Steckler; Runners-up: Toni Jardine and Janine Jones.
Men’s Singles winner Gage Volykhine (right) and runner-up Martin Kalafat
Mixed Doubles winners Chris White and Kirsty Gardyne (left), with runners-up, Mary Anne Clive and Allister Irving
Women’s Doubles winners (from right) Leigh Steckler and Lisa Chaddock, with runners up Janine Jones and Toni Jardine
Women’s Singles winner Nicky Mules (right) with runner up Mary Anne Clive
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Coastal Charm Meets Contemporary Living
Final Notice
Positioned in one of Devonport’s most tightly held streets, this beautifully presented villa offers an exceptional blend of timeless character and modern comfort, just moments from the shoreline. Less than 100 metres from the white sands of Cheltenham Beach, the home delivers an enviable lifestyle where morning swims, coastal walks, and relaxed seaside living are part of your everyday routine.
Tender
Closes 4:00pm, Thursday 16 April
(unless sold prior)
Inside, the residence has been thoughtfully configured for contemporary living while retaining its classic Devonport villa charm. Polished wooden floors flow throughout, enhancing the warmth and elegance of the interiors. The open-plan kitchen and living area form the heart of the home, seamlessly
connecting to a private, sun-drenched rear courtyard, perfect for entertaining or quiet relaxation. A second living room provides flexibility for families, guests, or a dedicated retreat. Accommodation comprises three well-proportioned bedrooms, including a generous master suite complete with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. A second bathroom services the remainder of the home with ease.
Additional features include a double lock-up garage and excellent proximity to Devonport village, where a vibrant selection of shops, cafes, and restaurants are all within easy reach. A rare opportunity to secure a refined coastal home in an outstanding location.
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Landscaping Devonport
Garden design and construction
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• Electronic and mechanical lock installations
•
John Bisset LtD
Haka Challenge a huge success
The annual TGS Haka Challenge keeps getting stronger and this year’s was a powerful display as all five houses - Kaha, Ihi, Mana, Māia, and Wehitook the stage with fierce haka and beautifully delivered waiata.
A massive congratulations to Kaha, this year’s Haka Challenge champions, and to Māia, who claimed a well-deserved second place. Wehi, Ihi and Mana were awarded third equal. The improvement across the entire school was remarkable - every house lifted their performance, showing just how much our annual haka continues to grow stronger year after year.
Respected broadcaster Scotty Morrison, former Board Chair Andrew Baker and principal Mary Nixon judged the event. Scotty commended students for the significant step up in performance, noting that the standard in 2026 was “another level again.”
He stressed the need for “head to follow hands”when performing and treated students to a well-received demonstration.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to such an incredible atmosphere.
Volleyball win tops off Summer Tournament success
Hundreds of TGS students competed in National Summer Tournament Week, achieving some outstanding results across a range of sports.
Leading the way, our Premier Boys Volleyball team made history by winning the national title - a first for our school in this sport. The Premier Girls Volleyball team also performed strongly, finishing an impressive 9th overall.
Our Premier Surfing team delivered an exceptional performance at the National Surfing Festival held at Muriwai - Māori Bay, placing 2nd overall in the highly competitive Championship Division.
TGS also enjoyed great success at the recent regional athletics competition with our students earning multiple medals across events.
Year 10 student Owen Hawk achieved outstanding results at the Kayaking Nationals, winning gold in both the 14 & Under Men’s K1 Long Course and the Men’s K1 250m A Final.
These achievements reflect the dedication and talent of our student athletes and coaches. Congratulations to everyone involved on a fantastic summer of sport.
TGS adds splash of yellow at Colour Dash
Takapuna Grammar School’s Peer Service team proudly volunteered at the recent Colour Dash, held at the Ngataringa Sports Fields.
Students from Years 12 and 13 took charge of the yellow colour station, bringing high energy and loud cheers as they helped runners through a cloud of colour.
The Colour Dash supports The Liz Soper Foundation of Care, a charity that provides financial assistance to New Zealanders living with disabilities so they can take part in recreational activities.
Year 13 surfer Sam Frazerhurst
Winner of the coveted House Cup - Kaha
Tēnā koutou,
April is shaping up to be a vibrant month at DEPOT, with exhibitions and hands-on creative experiences activating every corner of our spaces
Looking just ahead, tickets are selling fast for a special early May performance
To help celebrate NZ Music Month we have partnered with the New Zealand String Quartet, Chateaubriant and Toi Toi wines to create a divine evening of art, music and cuisine
Our Ceramics Studio is ready for the school holidays and with Mother’s Day coming up it is a great time to make or find something special at our Shop
DEPOT | 3 Victoria Road
Inside the Garden & Beyond (After Pat Hanly) by Verity Kindleysides opened to a vibrant crowd and the exhibition runs until 26 April
Verity and Katie Thornton’s classes start next month at Whare Toi as part of our Term Workshops series Limited places available so book in today and get creative!
DEPOT Artspace
Our Gallery is bursting with colour (and egg trays!)
Common Matter by Amanda Mackenzie reimagines everyday egg trays as sculptural forms playful, colourful, and shaped by community contributions. If you ’ re feeling like a pick me up, we think a visit will brighten your day for sure
In the lounge, Inkpressions by Ana Ferrari explores texture, colour, and organic form through experimental relief printing
Ngā mihi nui, Amy Saunders
Director | Kaiwhakahaere, DEPOT amy saunders@depot org nz
Artist scrambles to use egg trays
An “eggs-cellent” response from locals has helped artist Amanda Mackenzie (pictured above) with the building blocks of an intriguing installation at the Depot gallery in Clarence St. Sculptures fashioned from around 3500 egg trays rise from the floor.
“Most of those are from the local community,” she says.
Several hundred yellow and green egg trays from China intersperse the works. Mackenzie says she and her mother brought them home in trusty giant checked plastic bags as excess baggage. “Customs were so lovely,” she says.
So too Devonport businesses Stone Oven, Baked and Torpedo Bay Cafe, who kept their empty egg trays for her, and the residents who responded to a Depot request for more.
Mackenzie and her husband are spending
two years teaching art and design (her) and drama (him) in Zhuhai in southern China.
Having earlier secured an exhibition at the Depot, the egg trays were her creative solution to conceptualising a show that she could assemble in her one week back in Auckland for its opening last week. This was assisted by Creative New Zealand’s Early Career Fund.
She says the show is influenced by her interest in architectural forms and repurposing utilitarian objects. Arched shapes and pillars are cut through with colours, where the egg trays form stripes. Others curve from walls, akin to air vents.
On the walls are crate-like boxed works, featuring pulp derived from trays she deconstructed.
In previous works, the masters graduate
with a Fine Arts degree from Whitecliffe in 2023 made her own paper, breaking down fibres including from fabric and old school work books. She first began collecting egg cartons to use for pulp, accidentally knocked over a pile and began playing with them. “They were so beautiful.”
But it wasn’t until later that she chose to celebrate their original form. “Egg trays were everywhere,” she says of being in China. And being in the country credited with inventing paper also fuelled her interest in using them again.
In between times, she showed a standout spiral of wire coathangers at Sculpture on Shore at Fort Takapuna in November last year. To help transport the work without the hangers getting tangled she again turned to egg cartons as gentle separators for packaging. “So I’ve spent a lot of time with them,” she says.
This evolved into both the sculptures and the idea of using the pulp from egg cartons as a substrate for the delicate mesh screens of the wall boxes in her Depot show, Common Matter.
The Chinese cartons lent colour to the panels and she says a sense of tension between fragility and function. She finds something cheerful in their colour and form and believes everyday objects are worth spending time with, to reinterpret and celebrate.
“You couldn’t get a harder worker than the egg carton,” she says.
• Common Matter is on until 9 May at the Depot Artspace, 28 Clarence St.
DCO back with
Bach and Grieg
The Devonport Chamber Orchestra will give its first concert of the year on Sunday 12 April at Holy Trinity Church.
Violin soloist Harris Leung will feature, in a programme including J.S. Bach’s Violin Concerto in D minor and Grieg’s Holberg Suite. Conductor Esther Wu will lead the orchestra.
The DCO will return for later concerts under its new music director, John Meitus, who is also the Auckland Philharmonia’s associate principal bass.
Hong Kong-born Meitus, who began playing double bass at age four, completed tertiary studies in the United States and has had an extensive solo career, playing with orchestras, including the Cleveland Philharmonic, Houston Symphony and Warner Bros. Studio Orchestra.
He is a mentor of younger musicians and co-founder of a charity, The String Bank, dedicated to providing quality strings to schools and music students across the world.
• Sunday’s concert is at 2pm at Holy Trinity, 20 Church St. Admission at the door (no Eftpos). Adults $20, Seniors and Students $15, children under 12 free.
www.takapunamovies.co.nz
Facebook and Instagram @takapunabeachsidecinema 09 666 0714
SHOWING NOW
Mr. Nobody Against Putin (E) 90min
You, Me & Tuscany (PG) 105min
The Drama (R16) 106min
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (R16) 108min
Hoppers (2D & 3D) (PG) 104min
I Swear (RP13) 120min
The Magic Faraway Tree (G) 110min
They Will Kill You (R16) 95min
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2D & 3D) (PG) 120min
No Tears on the Field (E) 94min
Project Hail Mary (M) 156min
Sirât (M) 115min
Tenor: My Name is Pati (PG) 104min
SPECIAL EVENTS & NEW RELEASES
Hunt For The Wilderpeople (PG) 100min
For more info on films & events go to thevic.co.nz
Gracious estate with harbour views
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