Auckland Guitar School (AGS) presents its legendary annual student Big Gig showcase at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre in Epsom on Sunday October 2 at 6.30pm.
Hear AGS’s talented guitarists celebrating everything guitar, with their best players performing classic guitar songs, original music and jamming the night away.
Bring your air guitar and get ready to be inspired – it could be you up onstage next year!
Tickets are available online at https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2022/oct/big-gig
The Lions Club of Howick has once again run a photo competition for students attending local secondary schools, with the top 12 photos going into its annual scenic calendar.
Many outstanding entries have been received for this year’s competition which showcases the wonderful artistic talents these students possess.
The images must have been taken in the east Auckland area, be bold images suitable for calendar use and display good composition with thoughtful planning of the image.
The three judges will no doubt spend a considerable amount of time assessing the entries as the standard of the images demonstrates impressive skills by these young photographers.
An exhibition is to be held at Fencible Lounge on Uxbridge Road in Howick on October Friday 7, 11am-3pm. All the entries will be displayed.
The prize winners will be announced and presented with their prizes. First place is a $1000 Prezzy Card (sponsored by Howick Lions Club), second a $500 Prezzy Card (sponsored by Designer Digital) and third a $300 Prezzy Card (sponsored by McBride Holdings)
Their winning images and nine other student entries will be used in the Howick Lions 2023 Calendar which will be available at the exhibition for purchase before it is available at various outlets.
All profits go back into the local community.
I am honoured to stand as a leader for the community which has been my home since 2013.
My wife and I live in east Auckland together with our two children and extended family.
As a dedicated father of two, and an experienced entrepreneur and small business owner, I understand what we need to grow as a community and as a country.
Having lived in New Zealand since 2007, and as an immigration advisor and migrant myself, I know first-hand the benefits and values we bring to our community.
As the Botany and Flat Bush areas continue to expand, I want to see residents get value for the rates they pay.
This means efficient services, facilities where people of all ages can meet and socialise, wonderful places for kids to play, more sports fields, and a reliable and improved public transport system providing better coverage for this growing area.
As a family man, I value a community where residents can feel safe whilst moving around, and in their homes. I will support initiatives to keep neighbourhoods crime-free.
Local business owners strongly believe they must be supported.
After a tough time, they need help to regain confidence and rebuild to continue to enhance the local economy.
I am standing for a seat on the Howick Local Board for the following reasons:
I am a volunteer for an organisation that helps to deter crime and I am a volunteer for an organisation that supports the victims of crime so I see a broad spectrum.
A caring community unites and it starts with families knowing where their teenage children are and who they are associating with.
In February I was part of a local group that protested against the council selling our local park at Fortyfoot Lane and this is my main reason for standing for a seat on the board.
We already have traffic congestion and overloaded stormwater/sewer systems so allowing a developer to demolish a house on a single section and replace it with five houses is madness.
It effectively means the developers have more authority in our community than the council.
All new builds in Auckland need to be reduced by 50 per cent until we have a plan of sustainable growth.
Their goal is for Aucklanders to reduce vehicle use by 50 per cent before the year 2030 and start walking, cycling and using public transport.
I’m a volunteer for Victim Support Counties Manukau and Howick Pakuranga Community Patrol.
I attend (the English-speaking) Pakuranga Chinese Baptist Church and I’m a member of Celebrants Aotearoa New Zealand.
Facebook: billy david davis.
Peter Young has been a committed member of the Howick Local Board for the past six years.
He’s also chairman of the Botany and Flat Bush Ethnic Association (BFEA), which he founded to realise his vision of a “happy and healthy community”.
Standing for re-election to the Howick Local Board in the Botany subdivision, Young believes a healthy community is a happy one.
He’s passionate about serving the community and has seen the BFEA grow quickly over the past four and a half years.
“With a focus on health and fitness, the association offers great opportunities for the well-being of diverse communities in the Botany and Flat Bush communities,” says Young, who’s served as a Justice of Peace for 14 years and enjoys helping new communities settle in New Zealand.
“We run very popular yoga and meditation classes at Ormiston Primary School, Botany Library and at Golflands Reserve on weekends.
“There are also a host of community talks by experts, tai chi, Zumba and Cantonese opera classes, as well as activities for the youth.”
Young has also spearheaded multiple cultural events as a prelude to Howick’s 175th Anniversary celebrations this year, with more in the pipeline.
“The idea behind it is to create more awareness for new communities settled in the area,” he says.
“I have also continued to advocate for the long overdue Flat Bush Library and Community Centre.”
With the sharp increase in thefts and burglaries, Young is strongly advocating for CCTV cameras.
“I’d like to see more CCTVs in high-risk areas.
“Locals can now connect with the police through a newly-introduced high-tech system.
“Importantly, neighbours must get to know each other, and be on lookout for suspicious activity, so communities and the police can work together.
“Keeping our community safe and a place where people love to live is why I am standing for re-election to the Howick Local Board, Botany subdivision.”
Billboard vandalism “hits hard” for ethnic candidates in this year’s local election, co-chairs of the ethnic people’s advisory panel say.
At the Park, Arts, Community and Events Committee on September 22, a discussion with the ethnic people’s advisory panel and councillors raised issues around ethnic candidates having billboards defaced.
Cr Linda Cooper expressed concern for ethnic candidates having their faces cut out of billboards and said it was very alarming.
“Have you had much feedback about ethnic candidates having their faces cut out of their billboards and defaced?”
Panel co-chair Mohamud Mohamed said it was a particularly difficult election for diverse communities.
“I have seen candidates [signs] being defaced. It is disappointing in a diverse city like ours that this is happening,” Mohamed said.
He believed the vandalism was a result of a “strange political season”.
Cr Sharon Stewart said she did not believe the graffiti was “a racist thing”.
“It is not only the Asian community and the ethnic community having [their faces] cut out. Maurice Williamson has had more cut out than anybody in my ward. Now I am getting them cut out,” Stewart said.
She said it was people “being silly” and was happening to everybody.
Panel co-chair Eva Chen said while it may not be a matter of racism it hit ethnic communities hard.
“For people who try to make Auckland home, it is a very discouraging thing because we have always been trying to fit in. Taking this step forward to become a candidate this election and experiencing this is quite a big shock in our community,” Chen said.
Chen said she hoped people would be more welcoming of diverse candidates in the future.
Cr Josephine Bartley responded to Stewart’s comments.
“While I can empathise with Maurice and his signs, I am pretty sure people do not say to him ‘go back to where you come, go back to your own home’ or comment on the colour of his skin and call him a coconut or yellow,” Bartley said.
“I know everyone’s signs get vandalised but where you are physically different to the majority that is something that is brought to your attention, held out there and used against you.”
“It is harder to put yourself forward when you do not look like the majority.”
Local rodent and pest plant programmes have been named as finalists in the 2022 New Zealand Biosecurity featuring in three of eight categories.
“The awards judging panel has told us this year’s entries were the highest quality ever seen in the six years of the awards, with close scores among the top applications in every category,” says Biosecurity New Zealand’s deputy director-general Stuart Anderson.
This year’s finalists cover a huge range of New Zealand’s biosecurity challenges.
“They’re inspiring New Zealanders tackling everything from decade-long projects focusing on thousands of hectares, to new innovations taking on biosecurity through molecules.”
“New Zealand has one of the strongest multi-layered biosecurity systems in the world. It protects our food and fibre sector where annual export revenue reached more than $53 billion in the year to June 30, 2022.
“As the threats we face grow in scale and complexity, it’s the innovation and hard mahi from people and organisations like our finalists that help protect our environment, economy, culture and people.”
The New Zealand Biosecurity Awards celebrate the businesses, iwi, researchers and community groups doing vital work to help protect New Zealand’s biosecurity. Each category recognises the complexity of an effective, sustainable biosecurity system.
Chair of the judging panel, Dr Edwin Massey, said while it was a difficult year for judging given the incredible quality of the entries, it highlighted the diverse work of everyday New Zealanders who maintained and improved our biosecurity system in the face of increasing and evolving threats.
“The 2022 finalists are working in our ngahere (forests), our mountains and waterways, our offshore islands and our urban environments. The pests they are controlling include catfish, aquatic weeds, wilding pines, blackgrass, goats, rats and the giant willow aphid, to name just a few.
“These biosecurity champions come from schools, community groups, local and central Government, businesses, and research organisations. And they all share a common purpose to make a difference in biosecurity to protect our country’s economy, biodiversity and way of life.”
The Awards have been held annually since 2017.
The winners will be announced at the New Zealand Biosecurity Awards event held in Auckland on October 31.
The New Zealand Biosecurity Awards 2022 local finalists:
BioHeritage Challenge Community Award
· Pest Free Howick Ward
New Zealand Biosecurity Kura (School) Award
· Howick Schools Moth Plant Competition
AsureQuality Emerging Leader Award
· Ethan McCormick – Pest Free Howick Ward and Friends of Mangemangeroa
After a two-year pause due to Covid-19, Howick Rotary’s Bookarama sale of pre-loved books, puzzles, CDs and LPs is on again at Somerville Intermediate School between October 12 and 16.
The collection and sorting of the donated items is well underway, Rotary Convenor Geoff Thompson said.
“This year’s sale promises to be the biggest yet as not only are many items rolling in following the announcement of collections starting for this year, but the club had also already accumulated a substantial quantity of books from the two previous year’s cancelled events.”
Bookarama is Howick Rotary’s largest fundraising event and requires a huge input of manpower to collect, sort and then present the books, puzzles, CDs and LPs for sale during the second week of the October school holidays.
The money raised from Bookarama is ploughed back into the community through a variety of projects including:
“We are looking forward to the local community getting in behind the event again this year so if anybody has any pre-loved books, puzzles, CDs or LPs that they want to move on, please take them to one of the collection depots shown on our website or Facebook,” Thompson said.
“Or if not convenient, call me 021 740 733, Steve Lines 022 1028 332 or John Savory 029 774 6566 and we will pick them up.”
He added that if anyone has some time and would like to help in what is the club’s largest community project, they would be welcomed with open arms.
Craig Lord is standing to become Auckland’s next mayor because he wants to make the bad things about the city good and the good things even better.
The former engineer works as a freelance media operator and he’s also an events master of ceremonies and marriage celebrant.
He previously stood for the mayoralty in 2019, finishing third behind the winner, Phil Goff, and runner-up John Tamihere.
Lord says the feedback his campaign is getting from the public in this year’s local elections is “extremely positive and encouraging”.
He’s standing because he genuinely wants to implement the ideas he has for Auckland.
“We [his campaign team] believe we’re doing very well.
“I really believe in the things I’m standing on.”
Lord has strong views on the controversial issue of the potential sale by Auckland Council of local public reserves.
He says he disagrees with it and “selling the family jewels is the wrong methodology”.
“I’d prefer we focus on where the money is haemorrhaging,” he says.
“I think selling things is the easy and quick way out and it’s lazy and the wrong thing to do.”
Among Lord’s key policies is to return the council to its job as a “core services provider”.
“People think there are too many side projects and a lack of focus on core services,” he says.
“They’ve have asked me questions like what am I going to do about crime.
“I’m very clear that is not a council role. That is central Government’s job.”
He also wants to overhaul the council’s preferred contactor procurement system, which it uses to allocate work required around the city.
His desire to fix it stems from being told about council work that was done poorly or was overpriced, he says.
“That to me is a red flag and makes me wonder why we’re paying so much for projects.
“During Covid, buying local was promoted and I think we should be taking it a step further and using local contractors.
“We need to change the system to allow local contractors in and we need to make sure they match the standard required.”
Lord wants to give more power to Auckland’s local boards to make decisions for their communities.
Many people he’s spoken to don’t know the boards exist or what they do, he says.
He wants to see board members do “pop-ups” where they’d be in an area for four hours a day once every two months so residents can talk to them about local issues.
“I think after six months of doing that the public will say they’re starting to learn who these people are and what their jobs are.”
Like other mayoral candidates he wants to bring council-controlled organisations, such as Auckland Transport (AT), under council control.
He also wants to create an independent performance auditor role to maintain oversight over council work and spending.
“They would be the ultimate watchdog and it’s never been done.
“The advantage of them being independent is they can go into any [council] department at any time.
“They’d have the power to go directly to the news media and the public and say what they’ve found in a council department, they put a suggestion forward, and nothing is happening.”
On how to reduce traffic congestion, Lord says he loves the idea of mass transport but he believes Auckland wasn’t designed for it.
He says there are three options to make it efficient.
“You’ve got to tunnel everywhere and have subways, which will never happen.
“Or you do a scorched-Earth policy and remove a lot of properties and buildings to redesign the transit lines, but I find it horrid when they have to do that.
“The third option is you’ve got to go above ground.
“For some reason when I mention going up a lot of people seem to go off the idea.
“They think of failed monorails, but I don’t.
“None of it is going to be cheap, whatever we do.”
Lord says east Auckland residents should consider giving him their mayoral vote because he genuinely wants to serve the city and its people.
“I know Auckland has a lot of issues but it also has a lot of good.’
Voting closes in the local elections at midday on October 8.
Candidate profile booklets sent to local voters in this year’s Auckland Council elections contain an error that was not corrected prior to them being printed and posted out.
Bo Burns is a current elected member of the Howick Local Board.
She’s standing for re-election to the board as well as for a seat on the council’s governing body in the Howick ward on a ticket with local councillor Paul Young.
Burns says on September 8 she was phoned by the board’s deputy chair, John Spiller, who told her there seemed to be a mix-up with her councillor and local board member statements in the profile booklets which have been sent out with voting papers.
The issue is her statement focusing on why she’s standing for the councillor role was placed where her board candidate statement should have been and vice-versa.
“I phoned the electoral team straight away and told them what John had said,” Burns told the Times.
“They put me on hold and came back and said unfortunately that yes, there had been a mix-up.
“I was furious. Somewhere in between me handing in my two separate applications, photos and statements, somebody mixed them up.
“I asked if it would be rectified and they said it was too late and the million or so pamphlets had already been printed, but that they would change them straight away online.”
Burns says she asked the electoral team why candidates aren’t sent proofs of their statements to check.
The staff she spoke to replied they had a very stringent proofing process, she says.
“My reply was it is clearly not stringent enough and I had been in print media and advertising my whole life and this wasn’t good enough.
“It’s another bump in the road but I’m not letting it ruin the hugely successful campaign to date.”
Electoral Officer Dale Ofsoske says when the error was brought to his attention the candidate profile booklets had already been printed, inserted into voting packs and embargoed waiting for delivery to voters.
“There was not much we could do about this other than have it corrected on the electronic copy on the counicl’s website, which was done almost immediately.
“Unfortunately, it seems the wrong statement was attached to the wrong nomination paper when lodged and [the error was] not picked up.
“This was only brought to our attention when contacted by the candidate.”
Burns says her forms were not incorrectly attached and she checked and re-checked them multiple times.
“When the library staff went to photocopy everything they must have mucked up the papers.”
I have a huge history with Pakuranga, being the first Independent to be elected to the then-Pakuranga Community Board and representing Pakuranga on the Manukau City Council.
I have now been selected as a C&R (Community and Residents) candidate for the Howick Local Board.
I very much align with their emphasis on good financial management and prudent spending ensuring all rates money is spent wisely and efficiently.
After our last board workshop, I feel I’m needed on the board to keep an eye on spending and to ensure there is a better financial oversight and will miss my colleague Bob Wichman who has a similar ethos.
Having previously been chairman of the Howick Local Board, it’s pleasing to see many of the things we’ve been working on finally coming through to fruition such as the multisport facility in Lloyd Elsmore Park which will desperately serve as a much-needed facility for Howick Gymnastics, and both Pakuranga, tennis and bowling clubs.
It’s also great to see many of our initiatives such as Fruit Trees in Schools, Enviro-schools and Pestival (our plant and animal pest eradication project) – all three of which have seen a huge uptake with high participation in the community.
Having previously been chairman of the AMETI (Eastern Busway) project, it’s been good to see this project advance and I’m looking forward to the Reeves Road Flyover getting started to ease congestion in and around Pakuranga.
However, I strongly oppose the busway diverting into a residential area in Burswood as this was never part of the original project.
While on transport, I am very opposed to the recent proposal for a crossing with speed humps across six lanes of Pakuranga Road.
I also oppose council selling off our much-loved reserves which is just so wrong.
I would also like to comment on how proud I am that my son Luke has shown an interest in local issues and is standing for the Botany subdivision, and I hope people will consider supporting him.
I know he will work very hard and make good and sensible decisions.
I’ve lived in and around Botany my entire life. I learned a lot through my father [Howick Local Board member David Collings].
Since before I can remember, he’s been a councillor of the former Manukau City Council and on the local board. It has given me a precious insight.
I would make it my duty to preserve any and all public-owned land, be it parks, car parks or anything else that is owned collectively will remain so, as well as the continued development of the local parks into facilities for the people; children’s playgrounds, dog parks, BBQ areas. Suggestions welcome!
I’m not a fan of Auckland Transport (AT) and their management of traffic [such as] the recent developments undertaken at the intersection between Cascades Road and Botany Road.
Not only were the road works poorly managed at the time, but we were left with this absolute mess of a “road” afterwards.
The lanes weren’t clearly marked and the new road layout isn’t exactly ideal.
Reeves Road Flyover was due to begin in 2015/6. Auckland Transport clearly needs some guidance or coercion.
This senseless rush toward public transport that unfortunately no one uses is not without good intention, but is creating nothing but a bigger mess.
The bus lane from Panmure to Pakuranga couldn’t take up more room, while still not alleviating any traffic [issues].
The only thing AT seems capable of is throwing in cycle lanes, bus lanes, speed cameras, speed bumps or traffic lights willy-nilly.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in public transport. It’s essential. But people like having their own vehicles and the freedom that comes with it.
This shouldn’t be sneakily taken away from the people through the lack of investment in road infrastructure while taxing your fuel at a premium for it.
Preservation of our environment is a must and minimisation of waste dumping through free dumping facilities is a good idea, instead of making it harder to participate in inorganic collections.
It wouldn’t cost the council that much, especially as we already pay for the removal of any dumped trash through the parks department.
The police are reviewing the behaviour of officers following the apprehension of three youths stopped in dramatic fashion in a stolen car on Murphy’s Road, Flat Bush on Monday afternoon.
A TikTok video posted by @buy_a_skytower taken from what appears to be a first-floor window shows a small hatchback vehicle brought to a stop sandwiched between two police patrol cars. The stolen car is initially swarmed by six police officers on both sides of the vehicle.
An officer in the leading car is the first to get to the front passenger door which is opened by the passenger. The video captures a voice: “Get the f*** out now…get out.”
The passenger is put on the ground and the officer appears to deliver several blows.
Police responded to a Times query this morning saying they became aware of a stolen vehicle travelling through Manukau City at around 4.18pm on Monday.
The Police Air Support Unit, Eagle, located the car and maintained observations as a police unit signalled for the vehicle to stop.
The driver failed to stop and drove off.
“No pursuit was initiated, and Eagle continued to maintain observations as the vehicle has continued towards Flat Bush,” Counties Manukau District Commander Superintendent Jill Rogers said in a media statement.
“The vehicle was successfully spiked on Murphy’s Road however it has continued to travel around the area at a low speed, until patrol units have brought it to a stop on Murphy’s Road.”
The TikTok video shows nine police cars at the scene including two dog units.
She confirmed three youths were subsequently taken into custody and were referred to Youth Aid.
There were no reports of injuries.
“Police acknowledge the videos circulating on social media and we are now reviewing the actions of our people,” Superintendent Rogers said.
“The incident will also be referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA).
“Given this, we are limited in further comment at this time.”
The countdown is now down to 45 days marking the 175th anniversary of the settlers’ landing at Howick Beach on Saturday, November 12.
The recent funeral of Queen Elizabeth II with all its pageantry and remarkable global unity of thanksgiving for a life so well lived, reminded me of the long and important association we have with the United Kingdom.
Not only did the Fencible families come with their English, Irish and Scottish cultures but the British Crown entered into a unique treaty relationship with Maori which continues to this very day.
Today we live with a remarkable fusion of many different cultural inheritances which makes our east Auckland community very diverse and with a good number of people being more recent migrants.
The Fencible families arriving in November 1847 to a land of new opportunity – yet experiencing many hardships and sacrifice – is something so many can relate to.
We are now only six weeks away from the key 175 anniversary events with a family beach picnic, plaque unveiling and church service along with many other special events. I am continually impressed by the number of willing volunteers who are part of celebrating together this 175th anniversary year.
Thank you to one and all, and especially our hard working 175 ambassadors and those preparing for the events at St Johns College and the beach event. Recently, many school children submitted a variety of 175 creative artworks.
Contributions came from lots of schools with children from Baverstock Oaks Primary and Bucklands Beach Primary making outstanding contributions. Well done!
Have you seen the 175 flags now flying in Howick Village? Call into the main street and enjoy the colours and ambience. How about purchasing some of the Howick 175 memorabilia before supplies are gone; tea towels, key rings, commemorative book, a specially brewed beer and a new blended tea.
Thank you to Times Newspapers and East FM for all their efforts to make sure everyone knows and feels welcome to join in the 175 events. Do look at the website www.howick175.co.nz – and especially the events calendar.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaát NZ held its 14th annual Walk for Humanity on August 27.
The 10km walk was held through Barry Curtis Park, with $8600 raised.
The funds raised go to two worthy charities – Blind Low Vision NZ, the principal recipient, and Humanity First NZ, another charitable trust which serves the local as well the Pacific region for all types of disaster relief.
The National president of the Auxiliary wing, Dr Nadeem Ahmad said: “Supporting people in need as well as helping the poor in one’s community are central pillars of the Islamic faith.
“By organising this walk and reaching out to the wider community to help sponsor the walkers, we are doing nothing more than what we believe to be our duty as true Muslims,”
The fundraising manager of Blind Low Vision NZ said he was thrilled with the donation and earlier had noted, “‘The motto of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at is ‘Love for all and hatred for none’ and it is evident in their peaceful actions.”
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