275 Times. Nov 2014

EDITION #3
NOVEMBER 2014
times
275 times
celebrating Māngere through sharing its stories
Vege Oasis says no booze here
The owner of Vege Oasis is challenging other Mangere business
owners to consider following his lead and stop selling alcohol.
Kenny Qian (pictured) applied for an alcohol licence earlier this year,
but after hearing from schools, residents and local service providers he
decided the right thing to do was to withdraw his application.
He says business is not always about making a profit.
“People are calling me a hero, but I’m just doing what’s right,” he says.
“After hearing about all the bad things that were happening in this area
because of alcohol I decided to withdraw my application."
He’d like to see Mangere become a safer place – and he sees this as
his way to do his part.
“Everyone should do something for the sake of making this area safer.”
Prime Minister for the day
Jin Nguyen.
“I’d get all the world leaders
to discuss world peace.”
Aiesha Menea.
“I would provide homes for
all the homeless and give
more money for the rebuild of
Christchurch.”
Longolongo Fifita.
“I would make it completely
free to go to school.”
We asked a
group of year 7
students from
Southern Cross
Campus what
they would do
if they were
Prime Minister
for the day.
Here’s what
they said...
Eric I’a.
“I would increase the wages
of those working on the
minimum wage.”
William Kiria.
“I would invest more money
into preschools and make it
completely free.”
Teilyn Teika.
“I would raise the wages of
South Auckland and I would
try and help people who
need more help.”

2
My Mangere:
Ihumātao
By Qiane Matata-Sipu
Some people call it Ishy. Others know
it as ‘that village by the airport’. If
you’ve watched The Dead Lands in
cinema you might recognise it as the
backdrop of the first fight scene. And
it is most often referred to as ‘The Pa’.
To me, Ihumātao (Te Ihu o Mataoho),
is home.
While Mangere is famous for its
abundance of churches, its arts
scene, its sporting prowess and its
melting pot of ethnicities, Ihumātao
adds to that richness with its cultural
and historical significance. The area
is reputedly the longest continual
settlement of Maori in New Zealand
and was once a home away from
home for the first Maori King, Pōtatau
Te Wherowhero.
Three kilometres from Auckland
International Airport, Ihumātao boasts
80-plus houses where almost all of
the residents are whanau, descents
of Te Wai o Hua and Waikato-Tainui
iwi. Oruarangi Awa is on the pa’s back
doorstep, and the Otuataua Stone
Fields and Manukau Harbour are on
its front.
At its core stands Makaurau Marae,
the wharenui built by hands of the
iwi’s men.
I can whakapapa here to as far back
as my tupuna Hape, who travelled to
Aotearoa on the back of Kaiwhare, a
stingray.
To this day, much like my
grandmother’s, the kids own the
culdesac, the dogs roam free and
no matter who’s front door you land
on there is always an aunty, cousin,
nanny or nephew ready for a catch
up and a cuppa tea.
Years of development have caused
environmental degradation and
changed the surrounding landscape.
Qiane Matata-Sipu
is a documentary
photographer. Her
first solo exhibition,
IHUMATAO taku
tangata-taku whenua
spent six weeks at
the Mangere Arts
Centre and has since
gained international
recognition. Her work
is set to show at
the Angkor Festival
of Photography in
Cambodia, later this
month.
www.Qiane.co.nz
FB/IG @qianephoto
Jet fuel is sent through our skies,
wastewater into our awa and
urbanisation has crept onto our
doorsteps bringing significant social
changes. But, our now ‘Urban Pa’
is still very much a reflection of
yesteryear. Back then my great
grandfather, Papa Mac, was the
community-appointed warden - 10
years running. Pastimes included
gathering kaimoana and picking
watercress.
Today most of us run the rat race.
We blend our careers, families and
commitments with working on our
marae and upholding the tikanga
and mana of our papakainga. It is
an ongoing commitment spanning
generations, with our tamariki at the
core. We’re a proud lot here and no
matter where in the world we venture,
we’re always blessed to come home
to our semi-rural piece of paradise.
Creating a resilient, sustainable local economy
By Justine Skilling
Mangere East Family Service
Centre’s Waste Minimisation
Facilitators Koia Teinakore and
Justine Skilling used the opportunity
provided by the Sustainable South
week to host a workshop with a
difference in September.
Billed as a conversation for anyone
interested in “taking scraps of time,
waste, food, land, and turning their
life around”, the workshop offered a
space to talk about microbusiness
as an alternative way of building
wellbeing for families and creating
opportunities for employment.
Hosted in the heart of the community
at the Mangere East Rugby League
Club, the workshop attracted over
60 participants. Local residents,
business owners, workers, Council
staff and representatives, as well as
Sustainable South week participants
Wharenui: Makaurau Marae
from around Auckland, joined
together to hear inspiring local stories
and make connections.
The day began with five ‘pechakucha’
style talks by local people,
all at varying stages on their
microbusiness journey.
After hearing these and other stories
from the community and beyond,
people gathered in smaller groups
to discuss some of the challenges
and successes people have had in
starting microbusinesses.
Mangere East Family Service Centre's
chief executive Peter Sykes summed
up the conversations by calling to
mind the story of Stone Soup, which
starts out as nothing but turns into
something wonderful once everyone
has made their unique contribution.
He felt the key idea was that people
were talking about creating “real jobs,
not waiting for someone to come and
employ us”.
Introducing the Mangere East
Family Service Centre's Waste
Minimisation Facilitators’ Koia
Teinakore (left) and Justine Skilling.
If you have a small business idea that
would benefit the environment or
your community and would like to talk
more about it with the team, please
contact justine@mefsc.org.nz or
koia@mefsc.org.nz.
If you have business skills or
resources that you’d like to share with
others, they’d love to hear from you as
well!
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Garden paradise one of Mangere’s hidden gems
3
Visionary gardener: Yvonne Thomas would love to see more people make use of the community
garden at the back of Kirkbride Road Reserve
If you ever venture behind the
old school hall in Mangere
to the back of Kirkbride Road
Reserve you’ll find a garden
paradise brimming with life -
and if you’re in luck you’ll also
get a cup of tea from Yvonne
Thomas.
Yvonne and her co-worker
Mona Nimmo have been
managing the ‘teaching
gardens’ for almost five years
now and would love for more
locals to uncover this hidden
gem.
Over the years Yvonne and
Mona have developed small
streams, a wetland area
around the gardens, whilst
also creating a beautiful
demonstration herb garden
completely out of recycled
materials.
Yvonne describes working at
the site as an addiction.
“We work here six days a
week, but get paid for much
less – because it’s like a
drug."
Yvonne and Mona both live
locally and they love being able to
give back to the community.
“Our dream is to see a food forest
established here, serving the local
kindies and schools and we hope
that it will go some way to changing
people’s attitudes about gardening
and growing their own food.
“You can buy a grubby $3 bunch of
spinach from the supermarket - or
you can grow it - it’s so much cheaper
and it’ll taste nicer than what you’ll
get at the supermarket."
The garden was established by Robert
Findlay under the former Manukau
City Council and if you'd like a plot
make enquires at the site or call 261
8137 for more information.
Water feature: Yvonne Thomas and Mona Nimmo have transformed a
swampy piece of land into a gardening paradise.
Continued... Profiles on the pecha kucha speakers
Tasha Tasmania,
Chairperson of
the Mangere
East Rugby
League Club.
Tasha talked
about the club’s
dream to become
financially
sustainable and
open a healthy
food restaurant
out of the club’s
kitchen.
Darrell Joseph,
professional
gleaner and
artist. His
special skill
is "finding a
treasure in
what other
people think
of as rubbish."
Darrell posed the
question “How
do you turn this
into a business?”
King Homeboy,
beat boxing
champion and
local resident,
talked about the
challenges of
gaining funding
for artistic
pursuits through
traditional
sources. His
message was
that “each of us
has something of
value."
Recommended
Dosage told us
the story of his
journey from
WINZ beneficiary
to musician and
founder of his
own Mangerebased
record
label and radio
station (REP FM).
“I’m 100% about
my community,"
he says.
Natasha Lilo
connected
her health
and nutrition
microbusiness
story to the
legacy of her
grandfather.
Building on his
foundation, she
has created
employment for
herself that fits
around her family
responsibilities.
Verse of the month: The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,and good news refreshes the body.
Proverbs 15:30 Sponsored by Bill and Bridie Keenan

Local focus for festival
Cosy vibe: Hone Fowler is helping put together this year’s Mangere
East Xmas Festival
Christmas is coming and so is the Mangere East Xmas
Festival.
It will be on November 29 from 10am – 2pm at the Mangere
East Village Green and Mangere East Community Learning
Centre’s Hone Fowler says it’s going to be another great
get-together.
“It’s got a nice community vibe and the village green is a
cosy place to hold it,” he says.
“The main focus is on being local, so we’ll have local performances,
local stalls, local music acts plus face painting
and fun activities for families and kids.“
The festival has been running for over ten years and Hone
says it’s a cherished community tradition - so don't miss it!
Upcoming Events
Social Netball
Every Thursday night @ 7pm Mangere East Hawks Netball
Club, Walter Massey Park. Cost $1 per player per game.
Teams welcome! Enquiries to Tash 0211663636
Free Community Fitness
Family friendly, children welcome, building community
relationships through healthy active lifestyle.
Every Saturday morning 7am @ Walter Massey Park
Ring: Tash - 0211663636 or Josh - 0211040382
Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Pool
The outdoor pool will be opening up for the summer season from
December 13 until the end of March 2015. The pools are still free
entry for all.
Free sports every Wed
Strive are offering a free sports/tag programme @ Moyle Park,
Bader Drive every Wednesday 3.30pm-6pm. Contact 255-0144 or
larry.c@strive.org.nz
Moyle Park Play Group
NZRL Community Playgroup @ Magpies RLC. Free for all kids under
5 years. Runs during school term. Contact: Johanna 0210332727
Summer Skate Series
Want to qualify for the Auckland-wide skate series Grand Final on
March 7? Then be at David Lange Park, Dec 13, 10am - 2pm.
NITTY GRITTY
Editor: Justin Latif
Creative Director: Jo Latif
Publisher: Mangere East Family Service Centre
e: 275times@gmail.com f: www.facebook.com/275times