Recent Meet the Contractor events were held for local residents at Dundale Ave, Glenavon and Haycock Ave, Mt Roskill, near two of the worksites for the project.

Watercare is building a branch line called the Central Interceptor link sewer which will be 2.5m diameter. It will run from the 4.5m diameter Central Interceptor in May Road to terminate at Mirada Reserve near Wolverton St. The pipeline will be about 20 – 30 metres underground, so there will be five access shafts used during construction.

Work has already started at Haycock Ave with the demolition of two houses. The site is now being prepared for work to start on the shaft. Once commissioned in 2023, the existing Western Interceptor network will connect to the new link sewer.

The Haycock and Dundale sites will have minimal impact on traffic during the year and a half construction period. A smaller shaft at Whitney St will be a little more difficult as it is on the roadside.
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Interested residents can stay informed with email newsletters from the www.centralinterceptor.co.nz  project.

At the start of lockdown, a call-out from the HUB steering group for Street Connectors resulted in Cate agreeing to be an interim leader for a New Windsor Street Connectors team. Numerous conversations and communications took place between Cate and others engaged in the HUB around what form the HUB’s response to Covid-19 should take.

The decision was made to encourage and facilitate community members supporting each other as opposed to HUB volunteers shopping for people, and operating a phone service to support people and reduce their sense of isolation.

Early in Lockdown flyers were created for this purpose and to introduce and grow the Street Connectors network.

A team of volunteer residents, sourced via Facebook and the steering group, delivered these flyers to every household in New Windsor, following strict Covid procedures for flyer handling.

The flyer delivery resulted in the Street Connectors team and HUB Facebook group's significant growth in membership.
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In early May the Street Connectors Team met each other online and came up with creative and practical ideas. The outcome of a second face-to-face meeting of the group in mid-June resulted in a Neighbours Day event strategy for residents near Brydon Place Reserve, and a plan for a Community Mapping project.

'Lots of kites, conversations, and cups of tea! It was good to meet new people as well as catch up with existing friends.'

Some neighbours near Brydon Place Reserve were planning a Neighbours Day picnic and applied for a grant to treat their neighbours to ice cream for dessert. Lockdown scuppered that plan, but with encouragement from the New Windsor HUB’s Street Connectors team they decided to celebrate Matariki by flying kites at their local park. 

India is now has the third highest number of COVID19 infections and deaths in the world.

Indians in NZ are understandably deeply worried about friends and family in India. With this background, Hills Church recently called their entire congregation to a week of concerted prayer for the health and wellbeing of the people of India.

The week culminated with the event, Ruh ki Baarish, led by Pastors Anil and Reena Kant and the Hills Satsung Team. It was from 7pm on a wet Friday night and featured Hindi worship, praise and prayers. This was followed by dinner (Ghar ka Khana). The high energy meeting was livestreamed as Ps Anil has an international following, having been involved in Bollywood. Just a few days after the meeting, there had been over 160,000 views.

Ps Anil says, “Here in New Zealand we are blessed to be covid free but people around the world are still facing hard times and struggling with the virus. We brought worship right into their homes online. We prayed and encouraged them to have faith in God and not give up. Let us believe God will move in these nations and bring healing”.

Ruh ki Baarish will now be continuing every Friday night at 179 Hillsborough Road.

We all need to be able to communicate to others in the community that we live in. A language barrier can be a huge hurdle for people to overcome in their daily lives. A dedicated group of volunteers assist with free English classes to help people start to interact with others more easily.

The English beginner to  advanced classes have been based in the Blockhouse Bay Community Centre since 2012. They were started as an overflow from the free English and Integration Classes held in the New Lynn Community Centre that have since terminated. As the classes are free, BHB Community Centre has supported them by not charging for room hire which has been an enormous help. As founder and coordinator, Shayne Walters has been the key person leading the team and keeping the classes running.

Students can be migrants, refugees or even long stay tourists. Their nationalities have included Japanese, Brazil, Chile, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Somalia, Russia, Uruguay India Pakistan and Kazakhstan as well as from Africa and Europe. When the volunteer tutor does not understand the student’s native language, then they teach using the full immersion method of English only. Drawing and acting skills are really useful to communicate with full immersion. Shayne’s degree majored in Chinese and Product Design, so he can communicate fluently with Chinese students.

While caring for his father in his later years, first at home and then at Powley House, Shayne started volunteering in his spare time. He has now been a dedicated volunteer for many years. He says that people volunteering to help with teaching English can get just as much out of the classes as the students do. First, there is the satisfaction of human interaction. Some volunteers are retirees wanting to do something meaningful.  Others may be looking for paid employment. They see volunteering as a bridge to employment and Shayne proudly confirms that those volunteers have been 100% successful in finding paid work.

The numbers of students and volunteers fluctuates and is currently lower due to travel restrictions. There are other English language classes available but there are few free options. Shayne likes keeping this class neutral and also free of political or commercial influence.

To get involved, contact Shayne on 027 8577488

The Covid-19 pandemic is what gave Shayne Harper the big push he needed to change careers.
 
Having worked as an inflight service coordinator with Air New Zealand for five years, and before that Qantas for 10 years, he had got comfortable with the lifestyle, but his previous vocation kept returning to the front of his mind.
 
“I live right next door to the Ryman village here in Lynfield and had been watching it being built as I drove past every day. I often thought maybe I should apply but I just didn’t have time. I could already see myself coming back to caring though.”
 
Shayne had completed the first year of his nursing degree before being persuaded to give the airlines a try, but with planes grounded due to the pandemic and a pending redundancy, he finally took the chance to follow up.
 
He went online to the Ryman careers website and submitted his application for caregiver in the Special Care Unit. The following week, he got a call from Michelle Barnard, the Assistant to the Manager, who conducted their interview over Zoom due to Level 4. He didn’t have long to wait for an answer either:
 
“I found out the next day that I’d got the job. She said, ‘can you start at 9am?!’”
 
Shayne embarked on a steep learning curve as so much had changed since he had worked in care in a hospital setting 15 years ago.
 
“When I was caring before it was all done on paper, but here we type it straight into the tablet or computer,” says Shayne. The management style was different too. “Back in the day you would have the matron and it was very hierarchical. Now it’s a real team and everyone’s input is equally valued.
 
“There’s been so much for me to learn there has really been no time for me to feel upset about my redundancy because I’m so focused on this. I’m just very, very grateful.”
 
Shayne hadn’t experienced dementia care before but is impressed with the Ryman approach, where staff work more like a care companion enabling or guiding residents to be as independent as possible in a more homely environment rather than being focused on getting through a list of tasks.
As the village has moved from Level 4 to Level 1, Shayne has enjoyed working without being head to toe in personal protective equipment (PPE) and seeing the interactions between the residents and their relatives.
 
Now with his eye firmly on finishing his nursing degree, he is relishing every day at his home away from home. “I actually love it here in special care. It’s just so homely, sometimes it’s hard to leave! My meeting earlier today was about being family and treating our residents like they’re your aunt and uncle.”
 
He adds: “I couldn’t think of a job that’s more rewarding than this, going home at the end of the day knowing you have made someone happy.”

The first winter planting day for the Wairaki Stream was scheduled for mid-July and an enthusiastic group turned up ready to get stuck in.

Leaders Dianne McCarthy and Kathy Neilson had to quickly action their plan B when it became apparent that the 300 plants ordered would not be available. There had been a mix up at Council with recent changes to staffing. Undeterred, they set the group to work on weeding and clearing of exotic plants. Upstream of Commodore Drive there is very little regenerated native bush cover after earlier periods of farming decades ago and then subdivision works.

The areas already cleared of weeds and rubbish is really impressive and planting it out in natives will transform the reserve. The Friends of Wairaki Stream (FOWS) group have done a sterling job of progressing Auckland Council’s conservation plan. On the day, with so much labour available, significant progress was made removing an invasive creeper and other weeds.

It was wonderful to see groups turning up to work together including a migrant group connected to Conservation New Zealand. Working as a group gives people confidence and training to undertake conservation work.

Dianne says “We had 29 FOWS stalwarts who braved the weather and turned up to plant 300 trees. When our trees didn't turn up they took their frustrations out on the jasmine, blue morning glory, ginger, palm grass, asparagus and ivy weeds to clear even more space for our tree planting on 8 August. The Chilli Restaurant kindly donated delicious club sandwiches, sausages rolls and litres of juice to revive the workers. Sincere thanks to all.”

FOWS really is just a group of concerned local residents who got together and decided to make this part of the planet a better place.

 Join the team for the next planting days: Sat 8 August and Tues 18 August. Search “Friends of Wairaki Stream on Facebook.

Excellent business practices, passion and respect

These values are at the heart of who we are as a community. The New Lynn Business Association (NLBA) 2020 Business Awards - Public Choice aim to recognise and celebrate organisations who share these values and play an important role in promoting New Lynn town centre as a great place to Live - Shop - Work - Play.

We invite members of the public to nominate a business they feel deserving of an award within the *New Lynn Business Association Business Improvement District, or any associate members.

It’s super-easy to participate: Get your official nomination form from the NLBA website at newlynnbusinessassiation.net.nz or from the NLBA Office, New Lynn Library, McDonald’s New Lynn, RSA New Lynn, Little Treats Cafe, You Travel New Lynn, Woottons Auto Accessories or The Wardroom Coffee & Kitchen.

Then submit either by email to newlynnbid@gmail.com, drop off at the NLBA office, 37 Totara Avenue, or mail to NLBA, PO Box 15456, New Lynn, Auckland 0604.

Entry is free, and one member of the public will win a prize, drawn from the votes for the Supreme Business Award winner.
Entries close at 4pm on Saturday 15th August 2020. Winners will be announced at 6.00pm on Monday 24th August 2020.

Award categories
Best Retail Business:  Businesses whose prime function is the sale of goods or services, including privately owned service-based businesses, shops or franchises.
Best Professional Services: Businesses that cover a wide range of professional services including, legal, real estate, medical and financial services.
Best Restaurant or Bar: Businesses such as restaurants and bars.
Best Café or Eatery: Businesses such as cafés, fast food outlets, takeaways, lunch bars and bakeries.
* For a list of eligible businesses see the website.  LynnMall is not part of the BID, therefore are not eligible for nomination.

Emergency Budget outcomes

At the end of July, the Auckland Council Governing Body made a decision on the rates for the coming year. This budget is an emergency response to the immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Auckland Council’s finances.

Councillors worked collaboratively to come to a consensus on council’s spend priorities and where budget cuts can be made. As Whau Councillor and an advocate for projects in the Whau and across Tamaki Makarau, these have not been easy decisions. 

I have heard the community saying that they want to keep council services running such as transportation access, libraries, public toilets and repairs to parks and playgrounds. 

I have also listened to my local board colleagues; Auckland’s twenty-one local boards were asked for their feedback on the budget, and unanimously resolved to support a 3.5 per cent rates rise.

At the time we consulted with Aucklanders, it was not known that an additional $224 million would need to be found for the city’s water infrastructure to reduce the risk of severe water restrictions, with forecasts of a dry spring and summer. Water is a vital resource and securing supply is a critical to the economic and physical wellbeing of Aucklanders. This additional investment is non-negotiable to ensure this basic service is provided.

Cuts have been made in services and investment in some infrastructure projects has been deferred, reducing spending by hundreds of millions of dollars.

If we can come out of the recession earlier and face better times, we will be in a good position moving forward from the unavoidably hard and painful decisions of this budget. 

I continue to be committed to meeting with the community to hear views on matters relating to council.

Seniors Advisory Panel

As the liaison councillor for the Seniors Advisory Panel, I am proud to say that the panel member selection process is now complete, and the work of the panel will start soon. However, in light of the council's constrained economic situation, for the 2020-2021 financial year the panels will operate differently to previous years.
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I am strongly of the belief that our seniors’ opinions and views are a vital contribution to council’s decision making. It was with this in mind that I established the Seniors Day High Tea when I was Chair of the Whau Local Board.  Hearing what our seniors have to say is one of the aspects of my role which I'm privileged to hold, I very much enjoy.

3.5% rates rise avoids service cuts

Members of the Whau Local Board breathed a collective sigh of relief when Auckland Council’s Governing Body voted for 3.5% rates rise. We were very concerned that a lower or no increase would result in a drastic reduction of the services and facilities available to communities.

For example, a 2.5% increase would most likely have seen the closing of some community centres and greatly reduced opening hours for libraries. Environmental initiatives would have received less funding and, as a keen gardener, I know you that you can’t just stop weeding or controlling pests for a year without your previous efforts being undone.

So, on behalf of the Whau Local Board I would like to thank Councillor Mulholland and the other councillors for ensuring that we, as a board, have sufficient income from the Emergency Budget to respond to the needs of the community as much as possible.

Almost as soon as public consultation on the Emergency Budget finished, we began consulting on our draft local board plan, which outlines the direction the board will take over the next three years. The plan has six objectives which can be summarised as:

• strong and resilient communities
• advancing Māori aspirations
• quality urban development and community facilities
• improved opportunities for walking, cycling and public transport
• protecting the natural environment
• supporting thriving town centres and connected communities

Each outcome has several objectives and initiatives.

The plan was largely written prior to the Covid-19 situation and many of the initiatives we wish to undertake may be aspirational for the first year or two.  Your feedback on what matters to you and what you would like us to prioritise is even more important in a time of economic uncertainty. You can find more information at https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/whauplan.

​Consultation closes on Thursday 13th August.