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Community Leaders Join Forces In Bid To Win Seats On The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board

This July team ‘A Fresh Approach’ launched their election campaign in their bid to win five seats on the new Devonport-Takapuna Local Board. The team, comprised of well-respected community leaders from Devonport, Bayswater, Takapuna, Milford and Sunnynook, are united in their desire to see progress and investment in their patch.

Toni van Tonder, the only incumbent on the team, said she was excited about presenting a skills-based board who would better reflect the diverse interests of the community as well as the full geographic area. “This has been my primary goal heading into the election. It’s incredibly important that we have local representation for all regions of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board area. Local Boards Members need to represent local views, and to do justice to that role, they need to know their area intimately; be working or living within that area and have a history of advocating for that area. I’ve been in Devonport for 13 years. I know the people, I know the geography, I know the issues really keenly, but I would be dishonest if I said I had the same level of understanding about other areas of the community. Having a team of leaders from the whole region is going to make an enormous difference to those local communities, and I think this is a move that will resonate with our voters.”

Standing with Toni on the ‘A Fresh Approach’ team is Mellissa Powell, who has lived in Sunnynook for 18 years and is the current Chair of the Community Association there. In addition to her community work, Mel has a professional background in human rights work with refugee and migrant communities, youth work and in the disability sector. “Sunnynook is a special place with such a diverse community. We are the polar opposite of places like Devonport, with a huge migrant population and greater infill housing. I absolutely love it here and strongly feel our needs are different to other areas of the Local Board. Given the change we’re experiencing, it’s more important than ever that there’s a strong local perspective on our Board. I’ve been hearing the concerns of residents and I think it’s time we were at the table.”

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Third team member Peter Allen has called the beachside suburb of Milford home for over 11 years. Raising his two children there with his wife who teaches at Westlake Girls, Peter says he loves what the area has to offer, “I’m very lucky that my events business enables me to activate our local spaces and celebrate our place. I produce the local favourite “Christmas by the Lake” amongst others and through this work I get to meet so many of the locals and hear what’s important to them.” Peter is keen to see some of the aspirations for Milford realised. “On one side we have Lake Pupuke, our fresh water crater lake, and on the other is our beach. Making sure these areas are accessible to all, and that our water quality is improved are things I’m quite passionate about.”

Terence Harpur, CEO of the Takapuna Beach Business Association is the fourth member. Terence says it’s time to put a spotlight on our local economy and driving improvements for our area, ensuring our community thrives today and for future generations. “Covid and lockdowns as well as our closed borders have made it incredibly difficult for our local businesses. In Devonport, Takapuna and Milford we’ve seen our favourite shops and hospitality venues shut their doors. No one wants to see empty town centres and struggling businesses, most of our business owners are locals - we need to support them. The Local Board has a role to play by enabling events and activations that bring footfall and return the vibrancy to our communities. Locals don’t want to travel far to have a good time, we need to create local activity to remind people what they love about living here.” Terence has been an active community member for many years, advocating strongly for improvements in our area, particularly Takapuna. As well as his passion for our area, he also has two children and volunteers as Deputy Chair of Eventfinda Stadium and is a founding board member for disability charity Project Employ.

Zane Catterall is the final member in the team. Born and bred in Bayswater, Zane is now raising his own family in the place he calls home. Bringing a passion for the environment to the team Zane works as Tikanga and Kaupapa Māori consultant to Restoring Takarunga-Hauraki the widely praised restoration and volunteering group on the Devonport Peninsula.

“I get so much from working in our community,’ says Zane. ‘The success of the recent Puanga Matariki events in Devonport shows what can be achieved by collaborating and working together. When I spoke to the thousands of people on the tīhi of Takarunga, I had this great sense of kotahitanga - togetherness. I’m keen to enable more of that to happen across our area. It’s been a hard few years and we need more opportunity to come together, be uplifted and celebrate our place.’

“We’re so honoured to have Zane in our team,” notes Toni, “For the first time our board is poised to include someone of Māori descent (Ngāti-Manipoto and Ngā Puhi) and a fluent speaker of te reo Māori. A big part of the Local Board role is in working with mana whenua. It’s not something our Local Board has ever been adept at. Zane is going to be our guide in this space and I know he is really passionate about helping us restore those relationships. This is an enormous gift to our community. In fact, the whole team is a gift to our community. Now is an exciting opportunity for change and we know that people are ready for it.”

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