275 Times March 2017
Mangere community news - 275 Times
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EDITION #28<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
<strong>275</strong><br />
Māngere’s<br />
times<br />
<strong>275</strong> times<br />
Free!<br />
Our stories, our people, our Māngere<br />
Kōrero paki ō tatou, Tāngata ō tatou, Ngā Hau Māngere ō tatou<br />
GUCCI<br />
COMES TO<br />
BADER<br />
INTERMEDIATE<br />
Among the new Year 7s<br />
at Sir Douglas Bader<br />
Intermediate, one student<br />
stands out from the rest.<br />
Gucci is jet black, very<br />
hairy, and has four legs<br />
and floppy ears. Yes, you<br />
guessed it, Gucci is a dog.<br />
Sir Douglas Bader<br />
Intermediate is piloting<br />
an innovative program<br />
that will see Gucci<br />
become an integral part<br />
of the school, working in<br />
classrooms with students.<br />
Gucci has been with the<br />
SPCA Auckland’s Outreach<br />
Therapy Pets programme<br />
for 18 months. In that time<br />
she has visited prisons,<br />
facilities for the elderly,<br />
rehab units, hospitals<br />
and other places where<br />
people need love, affection<br />
and non-judgement. She<br />
has also visited the<br />
Whakatakapokai Child,<br />
Youth & Family care and<br />
protection residence in<br />
South Auckland to assist<br />
young people understand<br />
the importance of empathy.<br />
“Gucci has made an instant<br />
impact with the students<br />
of Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate<br />
and especially<br />
Not just the teacher’s pet: Students Jojo Ouanine, Michael Uruamo and Tangiora Tait with Gucci.<br />
the students in Room 6,”<br />
says Principal Scott Symes.<br />
“The students love having<br />
her as part of the class;<br />
it's been great to see kids<br />
connect and just enjoy<br />
having Gucci close to them.”<br />
Associate Principal Mel<br />
Bland proposed the initiative<br />
early in February, believing<br />
that having an animal<br />
in the classroom would<br />
help students develop a<br />
sense of responsibility.<br />
Among other things, the<br />
kids have learned to change<br />
Gucci’s water, move quietly<br />
around her, and remind<br />
other students of the proper<br />
ways to treat an animal.<br />
They are now demonstrating<br />
these habits daily.<br />
“The calming influence Gucci<br />
has had in the room has<br />
been very noticeable. The<br />
kids have also noticed that<br />
Gucci will seek out certain<br />
students when she senses<br />
things and will go and be<br />
close to them,” says Mel.<br />
Jojo Ouanine, a Room 6<br />
student, says Gucci helps<br />
him when he gets stressed<br />
out. “I just go to her and<br />
take some time out to<br />
pat her. And then I can<br />
get on with my work.”<br />
Michael Uruamo, another<br />
student, says ”It’s a big<br />
responsibility having Gucci<br />
with us and it's taught me<br />
to be more responsible<br />
– and the class!”<br />
As well as helping students<br />
become more responsible,<br />
the initiative is helping<br />
them think outside the box.<br />
Gucci has been welcomed<br />
with open arms and is now<br />
the most popular member<br />
of Bader Intermediate.<br />
WHAT’S INSIDE:<br />
P2: Neighbours Day Aotearoa P5: Maramataka P7: Torranice Campel
2<br />
Takapuna
NEW LEADER FOR HISTORIC SCHOOL<br />
In February, Māngere<br />
Central School welcomed<br />
Jacqualene Maindonald<br />
as its new principal.<br />
By Toni Helleur<br />
A born and raised Cantabrian,<br />
and the eldest of four children,<br />
Jacqualene completed all her studies<br />
in Canterbury – including four years<br />
at the University of Canterbury and<br />
Christchurch College of Education.<br />
She is a former principal of<br />
Richmond School in Christchurch<br />
and Woodhill School in Helensville.<br />
Jaqualene’s husband is also a<br />
principal and they have a teenage<br />
son who has represented Auckland<br />
and Canterbury in football (soccer).<br />
Sport is something the Maindonald<br />
family enjoys most weekends –<br />
either softball, surfing or football.<br />
Jacqualene says she is in her new role<br />
for the long haul. “I will show you a<br />
passion and commitment to match<br />
that which is already here,” she says.<br />
“Whānau is so important to me, and<br />
Māngere Central is my new whānau.”<br />
Proud history<br />
Māngere Central School was the first<br />
public school in the Māngere area<br />
and opened on 1 September, 1859.<br />
In the early 1880s a new schoolhouse<br />
and a “teacher’s dwelling” were built<br />
Passion and commitment: Jacqualene Maindonald, Māngere Central School’s new principal.<br />
to accommodate the growing<br />
community. These buildings<br />
still stand on the Old School<br />
Reserve at the corner of Kirkbride<br />
Road and Naylors Drive.<br />
Back in the early days, children had<br />
to walk large distances to get to<br />
school – although some were lucky<br />
enough to travel by pony or donkey.<br />
Today children from Makaurau<br />
Marae in Ihumātao travel to school<br />
on their very own school bus.<br />
The school is proud to have<br />
produced members of parliament,<br />
principals of other early Auckland<br />
schools, and famous sportsmen and<br />
women, as well as a Crown solicitor<br />
and a NZ Director of Education.<br />
Many of these early students<br />
and their families; the Kirkbrides,<br />
Westneys, Rennies, Masseys and<br />
Robertsons are remembered today<br />
in local street and place names.<br />
Part of the community for 136 years: The<br />
old school hall at the corner of Kirkbride Rd &<br />
Naylors Dr is now a community meeting space.<br />
Get set for<br />
Neighbours Day<br />
25–26 <strong>March</strong><br />
By Toni Helleur<br />
Every connection you have<br />
with a neighbour makes<br />
your neighbourhood more<br />
friendly, fun and safe.<br />
That’s the idea behind<br />
Neighbours Day Aotearoa,<br />
a nationwide event that<br />
aims to get neighbours<br />
talking to each other.<br />
If you want to get involved,<br />
the website is a good place<br />
to start. You can join for free<br />
updates, and while you’re at<br />
it, enter your great idea for<br />
a Neighbours Day activity.<br />
The town and city with the<br />
most registered activities<br />
will be crowned City and<br />
Town of the Year <strong>2017</strong>.<br />
There are lots of ideas<br />
on the website, but<br />
simply knocking on your<br />
neighbour’s door to say<br />
“Hi!”and introduce yourself<br />
is a great first step. Or, if you<br />
live in a street where your<br />
kids tend to get together<br />
and play until you call them<br />
in for dinner, why not try<br />
organising a street BBQ?<br />
I’m the Māngere Area<br />
Coordinator for Neighbourhood<br />
Support (NS), so this<br />
year, I’ll be using Neighbours<br />
Day to kick-start the NS<br />
movement. NS is free to join,<br />
and it’s all about connecting<br />
with your neighbours too.<br />
I’m also aiming to help<br />
my neighbours reduce<br />
their household waste<br />
by teaching them how<br />
to use bokashi (a form of<br />
composting) so they’re<br />
ready for Māngere’s<br />
new red bin roll-out.<br />
I think this will be a<br />
great start leading up to<br />
Neighbours Day Aotearoa.<br />
The question is: what<br />
will you plan to do?<br />
Share your ideas, pics<br />
and invites with us on<br />
Facebook.com/<strong>275</strong><strong>Times</strong><br />
Neighbours Day Aotearoa<br />
is supported by Lifewise,<br />
The Mental Health<br />
Foundation, Neighbourhood<br />
Support NZ, Inspiring<br />
Communities, Christchurch<br />
Methodist Mission and the<br />
Public Libraries of NZ.<br />
http://neighboursday.org.nz<br />
3
REDUCING RUBBISH:<br />
IT’S A FAMILY THING<br />
With the era of black<br />
bags coming to an end,<br />
some of us have been<br />
wondering how we’ll fit<br />
all our rubbish into the<br />
new red-lidded bins.<br />
Waste-minimisation expert<br />
Justine Skilling talked<br />
to one family who have<br />
already made the switch.<br />
Ane Karika-Nuku is Kaitiaki<br />
Manuhiri at the Māngere Mountain<br />
Education Centre. Born and<br />
raised in Māngere, she moved to<br />
Ōtāhuhu eight months ago with<br />
her husband and six children,<br />
who range in age from 8 to 18.<br />
Because Ōtāhuhu was part of the<br />
old Auckland City Council, residents<br />
there have been using the 120-litre<br />
red-lidded wheelie bins for 15 years.<br />
Ane's family has adapted to the<br />
new system and now they barely<br />
manage to fill their 120-litre bin<br />
with rubbish each week.<br />
I asked her how her family<br />
organises their rubbish<br />
at home and how they<br />
manage to create such a<br />
small amount of waste.<br />
Lessons from the<br />
deep South<br />
“After I finished<br />
high school in<br />
Māngere, I moved<br />
to Invercargill.<br />
My family lived<br />
there for many<br />
years before<br />
moving back.<br />
Down there,<br />
we were used<br />
to recycling and<br />
cutting down our<br />
food waste. People<br />
used their own dinner<br />
sets when they had<br />
functions, instead of<br />
plastic plates. (That’s<br />
when having six children<br />
came in handy!)<br />
Invercargill is about the size of<br />
Māngere Bridge. As well as having<br />
a recycle centre, there were dropoff<br />
points around the town for<br />
glass, cardboard and other items.<br />
Houses have big sections, so<br />
everyone grows their own food.<br />
Our food scraps went to the dogs,<br />
the farms, or back in our garden.<br />
Staying on track<br />
When we moved up here again,<br />
our children were really “grossed<br />
out” to see the rubbish bags on<br />
Māngere streets. They wondered<br />
how such small houses could create<br />
so much rubbish. We got a bit lazy<br />
at first too, as it was cheaper to buy<br />
packaged food in the supermarket.<br />
We had eight people living in the<br />
main house and another family<br />
out the back, and each week we<br />
put out two or three black sacks.<br />
When we moved to<br />
Ōtāhuhu, we had to<br />
adjust again and<br />
remember how we<br />
used to do things in<br />
the South Island.<br />
Finding room to grow<br />
We live in a Housing NZ house, so<br />
we can’t have a garden, but we grow<br />
things in containers, and we have<br />
a plot at the Māngere Mountain<br />
Education Centre community garden.<br />
We collect our food scraps and<br />
bring them to our plot to compost.<br />
“IT’S POSSIBLE TO HAVE<br />
BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN SPACES<br />
TO PLAY AND SWIM IN,<br />
IF WE LOOK AFTER<br />
WHAT’S AROUND US.”<br />
Getting the kids involved<br />
Our kids bought pretty bins from the<br />
supermarket and labelled them for<br />
recycling, soft plastics, food scraps,<br />
etc. They squash down cardboard<br />
boxes and tie them together, and<br />
rinse and squash plastic bottles before<br />
putting them in the recycle bin.<br />
We’re not buying as much packaged<br />
food as we used to in Māngere. The<br />
kids prefer homecooked<br />
meals, so<br />
takeaways are an<br />
occasional<br />
treat.<br />
4<br />
Waste-reduction champs:<br />
Ane Karika-Nuku's family of<br />
eight barely fill their red-lidded<br />
rubbish bin each week.
I work long hours and my<br />
husband works nights, so we do<br />
big weekend cook-ups in hāngi<br />
pots and freeze them. The kids<br />
get meals out of the freezer<br />
in the morning to defrost and<br />
heat them up in the evening,<br />
so we can all eat together.<br />
Reducing & reusing<br />
Because we grow our own<br />
veges, we only need to go to<br />
the supermarket once a month.<br />
We buy in bulk, which also cuts<br />
down on packaging. We look out<br />
for notifications on Facebook or<br />
Neighbourly from local schools<br />
or kindys collecting packaging<br />
for craft, and make use of our<br />
networks in the community.<br />
Our family spends a lot of<br />
time at the Māngere Mountain<br />
Education Centre, and we have<br />
to practice reducing, reusing<br />
and recycling there as well.<br />
Healthy outcomes<br />
Our main motivation for living<br />
this way has been for personal<br />
health reasons. We have allergies,<br />
eczema, asthma, hay fever, lupus<br />
and lactose intolerance in our<br />
family, so we have to cook our own<br />
food to control what we’re eating.<br />
I’m also concerned about how<br />
we’re ruining our environment<br />
by burying our waste and<br />
dumping it. Having lived in the<br />
South Island, I’ve seen that it’s<br />
possible to have beautiful, clean<br />
spaces to play and swim in, if we<br />
look after what’s around us.<br />
My eldest daughter has really<br />
inspired our whole family to get<br />
on board with reducing waste,<br />
as a result of her experiences<br />
volunteering at the recycle<br />
centre in Invercargill. It’s a<br />
family thing. You need to<br />
start when your children<br />
are young so it’s normal for<br />
them, and make it fun!”<br />
ANE’S<br />
TOP<br />
TIPS<br />
HOW TO MAKE<br />
LESS RUBBISH<br />
AT HOME...<br />
1. Cook 2. Recycle<br />
3. Grow some of your own<br />
food 4. Use real dishes for<br />
functions 5. Have separate<br />
bins with labels 6. Get the<br />
whole family involved.<br />
FONUA: The climate<br />
can change – can we?<br />
A uniquely Polynesian call<br />
to action, Fonua is a largescale<br />
theatre production<br />
that addresses the challenge<br />
of climate change from the<br />
perspective of some of the<br />
world’s most affected nations.<br />
Using song, dance, chanting<br />
and physical performance,<br />
the one-hour<br />
show reminds us<br />
that a global<br />
crisis requires<br />
a shift from<br />
individualism<br />
to collective<br />
action.<br />
MARAMATAKA:<br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
by Ayla Hoeta<br />
Can you believe it's <strong>March</strong><br />
already? We’re now in the fifth<br />
phase of summer, which is called<br />
Matiti Raurehu. This is when<br />
you get a lot more moisture in<br />
the mornings. Sometimes it’s<br />
like a white dew that covers<br />
the ground – although this<br />
phenomenon has been almost<br />
absent for the last two years.<br />
The sixth phase, Matiti Rautapata,<br />
will start around the time of the<br />
full moon. During this phase<br />
the seed pods burst open and<br />
kauri trees drop their cones.<br />
At the end of summer, you’ll<br />
see the leaves dancing as they<br />
fall to the forest floor. This is<br />
called Matiti Rauangina.<br />
In <strong>March</strong>, Te Rakaunui, the highest<br />
energy day, falls on the 12th. This<br />
is a great day to get things done!<br />
The new tide brings new energy<br />
GET YOUR FREE TICKET<br />
FONUA: 8pm*, 11 & 12 <strong>March</strong><br />
Māngere Arts Centre (corner<br />
Bader Drive and Orly Ave)<br />
Cost: FREE (Reserve your<br />
seats through Eventfinda)<br />
Fonua is co-produced by<br />
the Auckland Arts Festival,<br />
supported through the<br />
Auckland Diversity<br />
Project Fund and part<br />
of the Auckland Arts<br />
Festival Whānui<br />
programme.<br />
*Please arrive at<br />
7:30pm for an<br />
8pm start.<br />
and you’ll feel productive and<br />
ready to do it all on this day.<br />
Key planting and fishing days<br />
are 19–21 <strong>March</strong>. These days<br />
are Tangaroa a mua, Tangaroa<br />
a roto and Tangaroa kiokio.<br />
The Oike day, which is best<br />
for weeding and tidying<br />
the garden, is 15 <strong>March</strong>.<br />
To set your dial, check the<br />
date of the full moon (13<br />
<strong>March</strong>). Then turn the small<br />
blue circle until the number<br />
‘12’ lines up with ‘Rakaunui’<br />
on the big orange circle.<br />
Next month we reach the last<br />
phases of summer – Matiti<br />
Rauangina – and move into<br />
the autumn months.<br />
I hope you are enjoying your<br />
maramataka read. If you would<br />
like a maramataka dial visit<br />
<strong>275</strong> <strong>Times</strong> on Facebook. And<br />
if you have any questions<br />
contact me ayla.hoeta@<br />
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz<br />
5
Inspiring talent: Polynesian<br />
diva Lavina Williams.<br />
6<br />
Food . Crafts . Cultural Performances . Bouncy Castle . Free Family Fun!<br />
FOR MORE INFO, CONTACT:<br />
Māngere East Community Centre<br />
372 Massey Road, Māngere East<br />
Email: info@mangereeast.org<br />
Phone 09 <strong>275</strong> 6161<br />
MĀNGERE EAST<br />
CULTURAL<br />
FESTIVAL<br />
SAT 11 MAR, 10 - 2PM<br />
Village Green (beside the Library)<br />
Massey Rd, Māngere East<br />
Thanks to:<br />
Former Ma-V-Elle<br />
singer Lavina Williams<br />
is back in her zone,<br />
inspiring a new wave<br />
of talent with her<br />
Vocals with Attitude<br />
singing classes, and<br />
co-hosting a brand<br />
new show on RepFM.<br />
by Shirl’e Fruean<br />
Back in the 1990s, Lavina<br />
Williams blew our minds,<br />
won our hearts and kept<br />
us on a high with her<br />
amazing, powerful voice<br />
as part of Ma-V-Elle.<br />
I remember her from<br />
her humble early days<br />
growing up in Manurewa.<br />
We were in the same class<br />
when she won the school<br />
talent quest at Weymouth<br />
Intermediate. One of<br />
the judges, Ngaire Fuata<br />
(famous at the time for<br />
her cover of “To Sir with<br />
Love”), acknowledged<br />
Lavina’s special talent<br />
and her incredible voice<br />
and predicted she was<br />
going to go places in<br />
the music industry.<br />
During high school, Lavina<br />
formed the girl band<br />
Belle. They went on to<br />
perform at the Smokefree<br />
Rockquest and Big Day<br />
Out. Later, as Ma-V-<br />
Elle, they released two<br />
albums, Spoken To (1997)<br />
and Angel (1999), and<br />
toured around the world.<br />
They were also blessed<br />
with the opportunity to<br />
open for legends Tina<br />
Turner, Boney M, Macy<br />
Gray and many more.<br />
Lavina was also part<br />
of the Faith City praise<br />
and worship team,<br />
which released a<br />
gospel album called<br />
Everything, alongside<br />
a te reo Māori version<br />
called Ngā Mea Katoa.<br />
I remember her singing at<br />
a popular karaoke bar in<br />
Papatoetoe where I was<br />
working as a bartender.<br />
She sang with her<br />
sister Emily and every<br />
time they sang it was<br />
absolutely magical.<br />
She was then given a<br />
breakthrough opportunity<br />
to play Shenzi the<br />
hyena, in the Australian<br />
production of The Lion<br />
King musical. Lavina<br />
also made it into the top<br />
10 on Australian Idol,<br />
an experience she will<br />
always remember as<br />
one of the best times<br />
in her musical career.<br />
A couple of years later,<br />
she moved to Germany,<br />
where she worked as a<br />
writer and producer for<br />
musical theatre show<br />
Popstars. She toured<br />
France as Deena in the<br />
musical Dream Girls, then<br />
moved back to NZ and<br />
was chosen for the role<br />
of Motormouth Maybelle<br />
in the 2014 production<br />
of Hairspray. She was<br />
also the vocal coach for<br />
The X Factor in 2015.<br />
Today, it’s clear this<br />
Polynesian diva is on a<br />
whole different level, with<br />
so much wisdom, and<br />
the freedom and passion<br />
to help others. She has a<br />
heart of gold and cares so<br />
much for them and wants<br />
them to be the best.<br />
If you would like to know<br />
where Lavina is performing<br />
next, you can find her<br />
on all social media sites.<br />
You can also catch her<br />
most Saturdays on RepFM,<br />
teaming up with me from<br />
7:30pm on our brand new<br />
show “Ladies’ night”. Ladies<br />
tune in! www.repfm.co.nz
COMMUNITY GAME-CHANGER:<br />
Torranice Campel<br />
World Social Work Day (21 <strong>March</strong>) celebrates<br />
social workers who are working toward social<br />
justice, environmental sustainability and human<br />
rights, globally. Here in Māngere, Torranice<br />
Campel is one social worker doing exactly that.<br />
Sharlene Looker spoke<br />
to the youth advocate<br />
about her latest projects<br />
and what drives her<br />
desire to affirm and<br />
empower today’s youth.<br />
Torranice is known for<br />
tirelessly encouraging<br />
youth to be proud of who<br />
they are, to be centred in<br />
their roots and to aspire to<br />
be the best. But her own<br />
experience growing up in<br />
Māngere was not easy.<br />
From family members<br />
coming to terms with her<br />
transgender identity, to<br />
issues of being looked down<br />
upon as a Polynesian and<br />
dealing with peers who<br />
made her feel ashamed to<br />
be her authentic self, it has<br />
taken years of confrontation<br />
and acceptance to become<br />
the woman she is today.<br />
“Looking back at myself<br />
as a young person I saw<br />
someone whose voice was<br />
silenced because of one,<br />
my identity as a transgender<br />
woman; and two, as a<br />
pacific person…” she says.<br />
For Torranice, it was a lifechanging<br />
move to Australia<br />
in 2011 which gave her the<br />
chance to re-assess her life.<br />
Moving back in 2013 and<br />
surrounding herself with<br />
mentors who uplifted her<br />
gave Torranice the courage<br />
that she needed to step out<br />
and give back by enabling<br />
youth to do the same.<br />
The result of this is a lesson<br />
that has become a mantra<br />
for all those who have<br />
been in her care: “If you<br />
are honest with me, then<br />
I will be honest with you,<br />
and together we can work<br />
on rebuilding your life”.<br />
“IF YOU ARE<br />
HONEST WITH ME,<br />
THEN I WILL BE<br />
HONEST WITH YOU,<br />
AND TOGETHER<br />
WE CAN WORK<br />
ON REBUILDING<br />
YOUR LIFE”.<br />
In all the projects Torranice<br />
has been involved in, her<br />
message has never waned:<br />
work hard, be honest<br />
and believe in yourself.<br />
Passionate about youth of all ages:<br />
Torranice Campel with her 4-year-old<br />
god-son Damon David Tanuvasa.<br />
As well<br />
as working at ME Family<br />
Services as a youth<br />
advocate, and undertaking<br />
a Bachelor of Applied Social<br />
Work, she's been an active<br />
volunteer with the Ōtāhuhu-<br />
Māngere Youth Group<br />
(OMYG) and is a member<br />
of the Otahuhu Rotaract<br />
Club of Ota-Ract 276.<br />
In 2016, Torranice was one<br />
of Auckland’s Regional<br />
winners for the Kiwibank<br />
New Zealander of the Year<br />
Local Hero Award – being<br />
nominated by one of the<br />
families she has worked<br />
alongside. The honour<br />
was appreciated, but<br />
accolades are not high<br />
on her list of priorities.<br />
“It brings comfort to me<br />
knowing that they’re being<br />
provided with appropriate<br />
and effective support,” she<br />
says. “And I feel so blessed<br />
to work in a role that<br />
enables young people to<br />
fulfil their full potential in<br />
life…walking alongside<br />
them to independence.”<br />
At the tender age of 27,<br />
Torranice is determined<br />
to keep this walk up. She<br />
is currently working with<br />
OMYG on a project titled:<br />
“A Call for Caregivers”. It<br />
aims to encourage the<br />
public to be involved in<br />
caregiving for those in<br />
situations such as foster<br />
care. Something Torranice<br />
knows well – she is<br />
fostering a teenager herself.<br />
“A Call for Caregivers”<br />
will involve high levels of<br />
commitment but as a youth<br />
worker with a passion<br />
for our young, Torranice<br />
has the stamina (and the<br />
heels) to carry it off.<br />
For more info on “A Call for<br />
Caregivers” visit facebook.<br />
com/OMYG-Otahuhu-<br />
Mangere-Youth-Group<br />
COUNTDOWN<br />
It’s that time again! Schools across<br />
Auckland are counting the days<br />
to the start of the ASB Polyfest.<br />
Southern Cross Campus is no different.<br />
Dezante Tanevesi, who comes from<br />
Makefu on Niue, shares what it means<br />
to be part of the school’s Niuean team:<br />
“I’ve been in the group for three years<br />
now. Every year, we give it our all<br />
at Polyfest to try and win. Polyfest<br />
is important to us because it’s fun,<br />
and we like to show off our culture,<br />
because we aren’t out there like the<br />
other cultures. It also helps spread<br />
TO POLYFEST Left: Southern Cross’ Niuean group at Polyfest 2016. (Photo: Coconut Wireless)<br />
7<br />
Vagahau Niue (the Niuean language),<br />
and our language is really important<br />
for ensuring our culture survives.”<br />
To raise money for their Polyfest<br />
campaign, the group is holding a<br />
Fiafia night at 6:30pm on Tuesday,<br />
14 <strong>March</strong> at Southern Cross Campus.<br />
The team at <strong>275</strong> <strong>Times</strong> wishes<br />
all the teams competing the best<br />
of luck for Polyfest <strong>2017</strong>!<br />
ASB Polyfest: 15–18 <strong>March</strong><br />
Manukau Sports Bowl<br />
www.asbpolyfest.co.nz
Community Notices<br />
FREE DE-SEXING FOR CATS: 13–24 MARCH<br />
SPCA Auckland is working with local vets to offer FREE de-sexing<br />
for cats. Spaces are limited and booking is essential. Cats and<br />
kittens weighing 1kg or more can be de-sexed. Book your cat in<br />
today: call SPCA Auckland on 09 256 7310.<br />
VOLUNTEER MENTORS NEEDED<br />
Are you passionate, motivated, empathetic and fun loving?<br />
Pillars needs you to spend one-on-one time with the children<br />
of prisoners. Empower children to live positive, hope-filled<br />
lives. Help break the cycle of crime. Training is provided, and no<br />
qualifications are required, but you will need a full licence and<br />
a car. To attend the next info session email: admin-auckland@<br />
pillars.org.nz or visit www.pillars.org.nz<br />
POPPY-MAI FOUNDATION’S AMAZING RACE<br />
Complete challenges as you race around Māngere Bridge to<br />
raise money for the Poppy-Mai Foundation. All-ages race starts<br />
10am, 8 July. You can race alone or in a team. Entry is $30 per<br />
person or $50 per team and includes a t-shirt, water, team<br />
lanyard, team photo and certificate. There will be spot prizes,<br />
and medals for the race winners. Registrations close 30 June.<br />
Call Shelley: 021 235 4007 or email: shelleygreco@gmail.com<br />
FREE CLASSES IN MANGERE EAST<br />
The Māngere East Community Centre runs FREE and lowcost<br />
community education classes in te reo Māori, Samoan,<br />
English, sewing, literacy and numeracy, korowai and tukutuku,<br />
drivers licence theory, tai chi, zumba – and more! Visit www.<br />
mangereeast.org, email: fiona@mangereeast.org, ph. 09 <strong>275</strong><br />
6161 or drop in to the Centre at 372 Massey Road, Mangere East<br />
to find out more.<br />
HAVING A BABY?<br />
Mellow Bumps FREE antenatal group starts Wednesday, 29 Mar<br />
10am–12:30pm at Māngere East Community Centre. To enrol,<br />
call 09 263 0798 or email: tawera.ormsby@ohomairangi.co.nz<br />
ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT (A2E)<br />
Get assistance with your CV and connect with people who<br />
can help you in your search for a job. The A2E programme is<br />
a relaxed, informal, FREE session held in the Māngere Town<br />
Centre Library at 10:30am on Fridays. Meet other locals and<br />
hear from employers and training agencies. All ages and<br />
backgrounds welcome.<br />
CONTRIBUTORS WANTED<br />
We’d love to hear from local writers, photographers and anyone<br />
else interested in contributing to the <strong>275</strong> <strong>Times</strong>. Get in touch at<br />
www.facebook.com/<strong>275</strong>times or email <strong>275</strong><strong>Times</strong>@gmail.com<br />
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Barista<br />
Welding<br />
BUILDING &<br />
CARPENTRY<br />
Recreation<br />
& Sport<br />
NCEA<br />
Level 2<br />
Forces<br />
Pre-Entry<br />
Warehousing &<br />
Forklift Operations<br />
Automotive<br />
Don’t<br />
just dream it.<br />
BECOME IT!<br />
Fitness &<br />
Exercise<br />
Foundation<br />
Skills<br />
Community notices are FREE for non-profit organisations.<br />
Send us details of your group or event for the next issue!<br />
<strong>275</strong> times<br />
<strong>275</strong><br />
Māngere’s<br />
times<br />
Design: Belinda Fowler Editor: Roger Fowler<br />
Publisher: Māngere East Community Centre<br />
<strong>275</strong>times@gmail.com<br />
www.facebook.com/<strong>275</strong>times<br />
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