275 Times December 2017 - January 2018

EDITION #37
DEC 2017/JAN 2018
275
Māngere’s
times
275 times
Free!
Our stories, our people, our Māngere
Kōrero paki ō tatou, Tāngata ō tatou, Ngā Hau Māngere ō tatou
Serving the community: Village Café staff Jordyn-Lee Daniels, Maria Hunt & Martha Tamati.
Great coffee & healthy kai
The Village Café is
set to flip the fastfood
culture in South
Auckland by offering
healthy kai and topquality
coffee in the
heart of Māngere East.
Māngere is well known for its
takeaways: they’re cheap and
easy, and can be difficult to
pass up when you’re rushing
home to feed the whānau.
Although convenience and price
are key when grabbing a quick
meal, the Village Café team sees a
growing demand for better-quality
‘ready-to-eat’ food in the area.
>> continued on page 2

GREAT COFFEE
& HEALTHY KAI
>> continued from page 1
In response, the small,
dedicated group of locals has
set up a new social enterprise
(and a smart new food truck)
with two main goals:
• y to make healthy food
available in an environment
where it’s not the norm, and
• y to create pathways to
employment for local
young people.
TAKING THE PLUNGE
Since opening in front of the
Metro Theatre, Massey Rd, in
August, chef Maria Hunt and
the team have welcomed a
growing stream of customers.
Some are just curious, but
most can’t wait to taste the
low-carb/healthy fat (LCHF),
gluten-free, dairy-free and
even vegan options – made
with familiar ingredients
like coconut cream, kumara,
raw fish and koko Samoa.
And while they’ve been serving
up this delicious kai, the
team have also helped over
12 young people hone their
barista and customer-service
skills behind the counter.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Māngere East Community
Centre is running the Village
Café food truck as a first
step towards a permanent
community café within the
new community centre
planned for Māngere East.
Long-term, the team plans to
open more health-focussed,
locally-run cafés around South
Auckland to help tackle health
inequalities and unemployment.
In the meantime, you can
check them out for yourself:
Wed – Fri, 7:30am – 3pm*
& Sat, 8am – 3pm at Metro
Theatre (Māngere East
Hall), 362 Massey Rd.
@TheVillageCafeMangereEast
@thevillagecafeme
The flash little café truck
is also available for
functions and events!
*Closed for Xmas: 31 Dec – 9 Jan
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Above: An LPG tanker navigates the intersection at Station and Walmsley Roads,
Ōtāhuhu. (I’ve dubbed this ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Intersection’.)
Getting about
by Donna Wynd
Welcome to the first of
a series of articles about
transport, cycling and
other things urban in the
Māngere/Ōtāhuhu area.
When the editor of this fine rag
suggested I write something about
300 words long, I quickly realised
how much there was to be said.
So I’ve decided that rather than
trying to say everything at once,
I’ll make this a regular column
on whatever interests me (and
hopefully you) about getting
around our community.
Burning questions
Residents of Māngere and Ōtāhuhu
know there is much to discuss:
• y Where are the safe cycle lanes
on the Great South Road?
• y How can we make it safer for our
kids to walk and cycle to school?
• y What will be done to improve
safety and accessibility for
pedestrians, cyclists and the
disabled around the Ōtāhuhu Train
Station – and it’s road frontage –
that I have dubbed ’The World’s
Most Dangerous Intersection’?
• y How can we make all of this
work in the context of our
rapidly changing environment?
There are other issues that need to
be aired as well. High on the list –
and of particular interest to residents
of Māngere – is rail out to the airport.
Rail to the airport...?
Some of you may recall the
proposed SMART project. This was
to be an arterial route from the
airport to the city and included
plans for rail to the airport as well
as cycling and pedestrian lanes.
It would have vastly improved
access to both Onehunga and the
airport for people in Māngere.
This project has been quietly
dropped, and heavy rail to the airport
has been ruled out by Auckland
Transport and NZTA (the people
who bring you state highways).
In its place is a vague
promise of light rail.
No one knows what light rail
will cost or where the money
will come from, and it won’t be
started till 2020 or thereabouts.
As you can see, there’s enough here
to keep us going for quite some time.
Share your ideas
I hope to set up a Facebook
page as a forum where people
can share their ideas.
In the meantime, if you have
anything transport-related that
you think needs to be put out
there, drop me a message at
bikeotahuhu@gmail.com
Donna is an independent researcher
with a background in public policy
and economics. She has a Masters
degree in Economic Geography,
and lives in Ōtāhuhu with 3
dogs, 2 cats, and 6 chickens.

Grace’s
Place
closed
for good
Community action
has succeeded in
closing down a seedy
Māngere liquor outlet.
Grace’s Place in Savill Drive, Māngere
East has been permanently closed
by the Alcohol Regulatory and
Licensing Authority (ARLA).
Grace’s Place was a tavern, but
also provided TAB facilities and
pokie machines for gambling.
In June, the Auckland District
Licensing Committee (DLC) decided
not to renew the tavern’s liquor
licence, because the primary
activity at the premises was
gambling – not the sale of alcohol
and other refreshments. The DLC
ruled that this was against the
Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.
The owner of Grace’s Place
appealed the DLC’s decision.
Usually when such appeals are
made, owners also ask ARLA if they
can continue to trade until their
appeal is heard. But in this case the
owner didn’t make that request.
As a result, the tavern’s on-licence
expired, and on 11 October, the
275 Times editor Roger Fowler checks the
locked doors of ‘Grace’s Place’ in Māngere East.
Inset: A message on the front door
explained why the tavern was closed.
Auckland Council advised the
owner that she should have
ceased trading on 2 August.
The owner immediately applied
to ARLA to continue trading.
But this move was met with
opposition from Glenn McCutcheon,
a Māngere resident and member
of ‘Communities Against Alcohol
Harm’, who also opposed the initial
licence-renewal application.
Glenn was concerned that Grace’s
Place had been trading without a
licence since August. She pointed
out that ARLA couldn’t allow the
tavern to trade when the licence had
already expired. The
owner’s application was too late.
ARLA agreed, and ordered Grace’s
Place to close until a decision on
the appeal had been made.
The appeal was heard on 16
November and on 29 November
ARLA announced that Grace’s Place
must remain closed permanently.
Young speakers find their voices
Public speaking can be scary.
For most teenagers, it’s as bad as
getting your teeth pulled out!
Māngere resident Warren Christie
wants that to change. In May he set
up a Toastmasters club just for 11 to
17-year-olds. “I wanted to provide
a supportive environment where
teenagers could build effective
communication skills,” Warren says.
“I’ve been humbled to see the
progress that everyone has made –
from overcoming their nervousness
when speaking, to getting up
and leading the meetings.”
The club operates just like Toastmasters
for adults. Members learn
how to improve their listening
skills, give effective feedback and
present their ideas logically.
Warren is also the founder of
the MCBC Toastmasters Club
(for adults), which has members
from all over South Auckland.
Current club president Ruth Malo
is another Māngere resident.
“Her journey with Toastmasters
started last June... now she is
leading the club,” says Warren.
“We teenagers and adults alike
started with Toastmasters in the
Above: Warren Christie, founder of MC UTH
Gavel Toastmasters Club for teenagers (left),
with club members Conrad, Reno, Gabriel,
Gaius, Jade & Christian. (Photo: Casey S Clark)
same way: we took the first step to
overcome our fears and amazing
things have happened since.”
For more information about
Toastmasters, contact Warren
on 021 0281 8482, or email:
mcbc@toastmasters.org.nz
3

1
2
PHOTO GALLERY
6
5
Māngere East
Xmas Festival
The Māngere East Xmas Festival, which was
held on 18 November, also celebrated the
20th anniversary of the Māngere East Centre.
1. Theresa keeps up with the big
girls from Tevarua O Te Rangi.
2. Tigi Ness plays his new guitar – with
grandson Loxmyn Ness on sax.
3. King Kapisi & Teremoana Rapley
4. Māngere East Primary School’s
Samoan Group
5. Tia Ormsby’s Māori-themed dance
6. Gayne and the Four Fathers belt out a
raunchy version of ‘Midnight Special’.
3
4
4

Maramataka
By Ayla Hoeta
Kia ora whānau! This issue
of the maramataka will
take you all the way into
2018. See you next year!
Matiti Muramura
(December)
Matiti Muramura is the third
phase of summer. It’s still a
great time for planting – and
even better for fishing.
This month the bush and
the seashore turn red with
pohutukawa blossom.
It’s an excellent time to
celebrate the warm weather
and head to the beach!
Matiti Kaiwai
(January)
In the fourth phase of summer
the dry ground opens up as
Papatūānuku thirsts for water.
Ngāpuhi people call this time
‘Te waru i Kataina e Rehua’ –
the eighth month of the year,
when the ground laughs as
a result of the Rehua star.
Tohu o te rangi
Rehua continues to shine bright.
Tohu o te whenua
There are three tohu this
month: pohutukawa, northern
rātā and plums! Early Christmas
plums are ready to eat or
make jam with. This is the
time to start preserving food.
Tohu o te moana
The kahawai that started to
gather last month begin to
run in January. The Oturu
day this month (New Year’s
Day) indicates the time that
kahawai start to run.
We’d love to hear from anyone
who lives by a river mouth (or
who goes fishing at New Year’s)
whether this tohu was correct.
Don’t forget, if you’d like your
own copy of the maramataka
dial, email me at ayla.hoeta@
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Kia pai o koutou hararei!
Tohu o te rangi
(Signs in the sky)
Rehua (Antares) will rise in
the east around 8 December.
Tohu o te whenua
(Signs on land)
When Rehua rises the
pohutukawa tree will blossom.
Hawaiians call both the star and
the tree ‘Lehua’. They recognise
the connection between them
just as we do in Aotearoa: when
the Lehua star appears, the lehua
(pohutukawa) flower blooms.
Most pohutukawa should
be in flower by mid-
December. You might also
see the northern rātā, which
flowers at the same time.
Tohu o te moana
(Signs in the water)
Kahawai fish start to
gather at the river mouths
from early December.
KEY DATES FOR SUMMER DEC JAN
Rakaunui: Highest energy day 3 2
Oturu & Rakau
Ma Tohi:
Takirau:
Korekore Te
Whiawhia,
Korekore Te Rawea
& Korekore Piri:
Tangaroa A Mua,
Tangaroa A Roto &
Tangaroa kiokio:
Orongonui, Omauri
& Mutuwhenua:
Whiro:
High energy days. Plant
root crops & watery crops.
Plant kumara
& other root crops.
Low energy days – good for
reflecting.
Fishing & planting days.
(On Tangaroa kiokio rats
come out during the day!)
Good days for planting all
types of kai.
Lowest energy day. Best for
resting & planning. Also a
good night to torch for eels.
2 & 4 1 & 3
5 4
7, 8
& 9
10, 11
& 12
14, 15
& 16
6, 7
& 8
9, 10
& 11
13, 14
& 15
17 16
Local artist wins top award
Māngere-based artist
Andy Leleisi’uao has
won the top prize in
NZ’s biggest contemporary
art competition.
As the winner of this
year’s Wallace Arts
Trust Paramount Award,
Andy will spend six
months working in
New York next year.
His last project of
2017 involves a public
display at the Māngere
Town Centre at midday
on 28 December.
The project commemorates
Black Saturday
(28 Dec 1929), when NZ
military police opened
fire on a peaceful Mau
protest in Apia, Samoa,
killing 11 people –
including the leader
and high chief Tupua
Lealofi III. The efforts
of the Mau movement
eventually led to Samoa’s
independence in 1962.
You can see more of
Andy’s work online at
http://andyleleisiuao.
blogspot.co.nz
Next stop NYC: Award-winning artist
Andy Leleisi’uao (right) with Pacific
art consultant Marilyn Kohlhase.
5

Aorere College Choir provides backing vocals
for Lorde at the 2017 Vodafone Music Awards.
(Photo: Topic/Hannah Rolfe – Courtesy of Pead PR)
6
Aorere Choir
Takes the STAGE
with Lorde
By Shirl’e Fruean
When my teenage
daughter came home
one afternoon – overly
excited that popstar Lorde
had picked her school
choir to perform at this
year’s Vodafone Music
Awards – I got just as
excited and amazed too.
As a proud and supportive
Māngere mother, I
knew I had to be there.
So I came up with a
master plan and after
a few phone calls, I
managed to secure media
passes for me and two
of my talented friends
(Gabriel Satiu from
Māngere Art Centre and
Benji Timu from Vlog).
At the Awards’ ceremony
I found my daughter
backstage with the other
Aorere College students.
She was so surprised to
see me – we couldn’t stop
hugging each other.
When the choir finally
went on stage with
Lorde to perform her
single ‘Greenlight’, it was
absolutely fantastic. As I
watched the performance
from the media room,
I kept pointing at my
daughter on the TV
monitors. It sure was a
‘proud-mama’ moment!
The day got even
better when my crew
and I got the chance
to film a promo for the
Hip Hop Summit I’ve
been organising.
It was brilliant because
we managed to get
everyone we wanted to
make a special shout-out
on the video. (See them
all for yourself at www.
nzhiphopsummit.com.)
The whole event was
such a cool experience
– a dazzling night we
will never forget.
And it looks like Aorere’s
performance impressed
Lorde, too. After the
show, she tweeted:
“...a massive thank u to
these gorgeous teen
powerhouses from the
Aorere College choir –
have been a fan since
i was at school & knew
they would beautifully
anchor this hometown
performance of GL.”️

Clever 7’s sustainable business journey
When Māngere
College student
Samir Ali signed
up to take Business
Studies in Year 13,
he got more than
he bargained for.
By Justine Skilling
Talking Rubbish,
ME Family Services
“Our teacher told us we
were going to make and
sell our own product
and I thought, oh my
gosh – what have I got
myself into!” says Samir.
Every year the College
takes part in the Lion
Foundation Young Enterprise
Scheme (YES), a
hands-on programme
where students set up
and run a real business.
Samir was quickly given
the role of Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) by his team
mates, and the group set
to work creating Clever 7.
Sustainable vision
With input from mentors
Lucy Wymer (YES) and
Peter Sykes (ME Family
Services), the group decided
to use recycled materials
in their product, because
of the “huge benefit to the
environment.”
They hit upon the idea
of reusing waste tyres
and contacted local
company Moon Motors
who were “delighted to
give the tyres away.”
Combining their love of
animals with their desire
to save the environment,
Clever 7 decided to create
Young entrepreneurs: Clever 7’s Te Aroha Houston (left) and Elizajane
Mafileo with samples of their prize-winning pet beds.
a pet bed out of the
tyres, using old clothes as
stuffing for the cushions.
After raising $400 in startup
funding by selling hot
food at school, they started
production at Samir’s place,
A wobbly start
“Our prototype was a fail,”
admits Samir. “We tried to
paint the tyres, but they
looked horrible. The paint
didn’t stick to the tyres
properly and would’ve
come off in the rain.
“When we started
working on our real product,
we decided to use
spray paint instead.”
Clever 7 worked hard
during the construction
phase, fitting this around
their other assessments
and family commitments.
“I wanted everyone to do
what they could,” says
Samir. “I didn’t want anyone
to feel left out because it’s
all about the experience.
It was actually very fun.”
The group put their
technical skills to the test
– washing, cutting and
painting the tyres, as well
as sewing and stuffing the
cushions to go inside.
Compliments & sales
With nine pet beds to
sell, the group created
some buzz about their
product on social media
before heading to the
Papatoetoe Night Market
to ply their wares.
“At first we were a bit shy,
but once people came up
and were complimenting
us on our product we
got more confident,”
says Samir. “People were
really amazed at what
we’d done. They’d never
seen tyres being made
into pet beds before.”
The group managed to
sell six beds at the market,
and the remaining three
through the school, netting
themselves a small profit.
But the hard work wasn’t
over. As part of YES, the
group had 30 seconds
to present their product
to a panel of judges in
Dragon’s Den style. “It was
really scary,” says Samir.
Award winners
In recognition of their
product’s outstanding
contribution to the
environment, Clever 7
took out the Excellence
in Sustainability Award
at the YES Auckland
South Regional Awards.
Their Business Studies
teacher Savitri Nadan is
“very proud of the group’s
achievements.” She has
seen their confidence
grow and watched
them develop skills in
team work, budgeting,
marketing, communication
and leadership.
A whole new world
For Mentor Peter Sykes,
the benefit of the YES
programme is the in-depth
learning students do about
themselves in complex
systems – balancing family
and school life. “For many,
a whole new world of small
business is opened up – a
cross cultural experience
in itself,” he says.
While none of the Clever
7 group will be rushing
out to start their own
businesses just yet, they’ve
valued the experience
and enjoyed having a
taste of what’s involved.
As Samir says, “If you
have a passionate heart
and a skilful mind, you
can do anything you
want in business”.
ENROL
NOW
for 2018
free PARENTING PROGRAMMES
Hoki ki te Rito
O – ranga wha _ nau
Mellow Mums & Dads
Mellow Bumps
Antenatal sessions
Incredible
Years
For Parents
Wh – anau
4Wh – anau
Whakat – okia
te Rongomau
Day & evening programmes begin in February 2018
Ma _ ngere East Community Centre, 372 Massey Rd, Ma _ ngere East
ph. 09 263 0798 | e. admin@ohomairangi.co.nz | www.ohomairangi.co.nz
7

Community Notices
SOUL – TE KARANGA A HAPE HI – KOI
Join SOUL (Save Our Unique Landscape) for a whānau-friendly
hīkoi along Karangahape Rd. Sat 10 Dec, 10am – 12pm. Meet
at Studio One Toi Tū (1 Ponsonby Rd) at 10am for morning tea,
mihi and karakia. Hīkoi starts at 11am. The hīkoi will include
short stops for kōrero, waiata and kapa haka and will end
at Symonds St. For updates and more info, follow SOUL on
Facebook: @protectIhumatao.
Ihumātao is the place where the tupuna Hape landed in Aotearoa
at the end of his voyage from Hawaiki. Hape is a central character
in many oral histories of the Tāmaki Makaurau region, and
Karangahape Rd commemorates his historical call. SOUL’s hīkoi
aims to connect the two sites and to share the group’s conservation
kaupapa with a wider audience.
AUCKLAND LIBRARIES – GREAT SUMMER READ
Win passes to some of Auckland’s hottest attractions, vouchers,
books and more! Just complete 15 fun reading challenges and
log them on the Auckland Libraries’ website. The Great Summer
Read is FREE and it’s open to all members of Auckland Libraries.
Prize draws every week. Even if you’ve just got time to read one
book this summer, you could be a winner. The challenge runs
from 1 Dec 2017 to 31 Jan 2018. Pick up the list of challenges at
your local library, or at www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz
CALLING PERFORMERS, MUSICIANS & ARTISTS
Do you have a creative project that you’d like to make happen
in Māngere/Ōtāhuhu between Jan & Sep 2018? Does it involve
craft, performance, visual arts, music, film, dance, kapa haka,
spoken word or digital arts? Māngere Ōtāhuhu Arts Brokers
want to help! They’re looking for projects that involve the
community in a meaningful way, are led by local people and
have strong creative ideas behind them. If your project is
selected, the Arts Brokers can support you to fulfil your vision,
assist with funding, and also help to find the right location or
people to work with. Applications close 12 Jan. Get all the
details now at www.mangereotahuhuarts.org.nz/news.html
FREE CLASSES IN MA – NGERE EAST
Māngere East Community Centre runs FREE and low-cost
community classes in parenting, te reo Māori, Samoan,
literacy and numeracy, korowai, drivers licence theory, tai chi,
zumba – and more! Visit www.mangereeast.org, email: fiona@
mangereeast.org, ph. 09 275 6161 or drop in to 372 Massey
Road, Māngere East to find out more. Holiday hours / Holiday
programme: The Centre will close on 22 Dec and reopen for the
holiday programme on 15 Jan. Places are limited. To book, call
Maia on 09 275 6161 or email: maia@mangereeast.org
Community Notices are FREE for community groups.
To list your group or event in the next issue, just send
us a 50-word summary by 15 January 2018.
275 times
275
Māngere’s
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Design: Belinda Fowler Editor: Roger Fowler
Publisher: Māngere East Community Centre
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