Hydie Balle-Hands. Hydie Balle-Hands talks to FARIDA MASTER about her debut children’s story book that started off with babysitting her nephew. Even as the enchanting children’s picture book has Andy making three wishes that take him on a big adventure….the local author shares her story behind the adventures of publishing Andy & The Little Rimu Tree. “It is very soul-satisfying.” Oh, to have child-like wonder and a sense of imagination! It was while playing with her little nephew that Hydie Balle-Hands had a spark of an idea that sat happily in the deep recesses of her heart and mind. “Som ..read more

East Auckland civil engineer Robert Finley has questions about the design of the Eastern Busway. Times photo Wayne Martin Retired civil engineer Robert Finley has analysed part of the design of the $1.3 billion Eastern Busway and he’s concerned about what he sees. The Golflands resident has a particular interest in the area that encircles Pakuranga Plaza and includes the Reeves Road Flyover, the South Eastern Arterial Highway, Ti Rakau Drive, Pakuranga Road, Reeves Road and William Roberts Road. He says traffic arrives there from each of those points and the flyover will take arterial traffic ..read more

East Auckland man Jim Donnelly disappeared in 2004. File photo supplied June 2024 will mark the 20th anniversary of the disappearance of east Auckland man Jim Donnelly. The Times is looking back, through a series of stories, at one of the most baffling unsolved cases in recent New Zealand history. The 43-year-old father-of-two was living with his wife Tracey Donnelly and their two young children in Dannemora when he disappeared on Monday, June 21, 2004. Coroner Sam Herdson held an inquest hearing on the matter in Auckland in 2007. Her subsequent report states when Donnelly vanished he’d b ..read more

Auckland Transport [AT] is planning to build a raised zebra crossing on Litten Road outside the Litten Road Shopping Centre. This proposal was put out for public feedback on December 19, 2023. Cockle Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association followed up in January, 2024, asking AT for more information. We received a reply advising how much the raised zebra crossing is going to cost – it’s estimated at $272,543.16 as at February 8, 2024. As at March 19, $42,000 has already been spent. Where to from here? You can go to our Facebook page Cockle Bay Residents & Ratepayers or the website ‘www.co ..read more

I am writing in response to the Howick Residents and Ratepayers Association letter published in the Howick & Pakuranga Times on April 3, 2024. The Howick Local Board has been busy serving our diverse communities across Howick, Pakuranga, Botany, and Flat Bush. Recently we’ve delivered Celebrating Cultures and Music in Parks, in addition to funding for local community events like the Auckland Brit and Euro Classic Car Show, the Pakuranga Rotary Family Carnival and River Festival, the Howick Village Cultural Food Festival, and the inaugural East Auckland Business Awards. Last year, the newly ..read more

I was walking on the Farm Cove Walkway with my dog and found a large fish hook with bait attached lying on the grass by the Pakuranga Sailing Club. Presumably it was left behind by a rather careless fisher. This is the second time we have found a large fish hook. That first one was in our dog’s mouth. A rescue dog with a high food drive, she thought it was great until the hook went into her tongue and the roof of her mouth. A large vet bill followed. [This is] a reminder to return home with all the equipment taken to the beach. Deborah Geisler The post Fishing hooks left by fishers appeared fi ..read more

Volunteers clearing out the garden before the machinery moved in to demolish it and leave an empty, open space. The Mangemangeroa Reserve Community Garden has been demolished by Auckland Council for no reason other than a Farming Trust was given permission to take the stockyards away. You may have seen the tall bright orange sunflowers or the sweet pea flowers as you have been along Somerville Road. The garden grew many vegetables – sweetcorn, kumara, dwarf, runner and snake beans, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, courgette, buttercup, onions, silver beet and celery to name just some. It also c ..read more

Howick’s Gerald Patterson is undertaking another mammoth bike ride, this time across the United States. Many will be aware that Gerald Patterson is a keen cyclist but to agree to do what he is about to undertake, well that requires a bit more than keenness! On May 18 Patterson – Patterson, the chair of the Howick Village Association – will be one of a group of riders from New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom to set off from San Francisco to cycle to New York, a distance of 5150km over 36 days. Three New Zealand riders will raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease New Zealand ..read more

Police recovered a valuable watch allegedly stolen during a Facebook Marketplace transaction. Times file photo A man is facing charges after a valuable Swiss watch that was listed for sale on social media was allegedly stolen during an aggravated robbery. The violent Facebook Marketplace transaction happened in Pakuranga on April 6. Counties Manukau East Police detective sergeant James Mapp says the victim had listed the watch for sale and arranged for what he thought would be a legitimate buyer to come to his property. “While viewing the Rolex, an associate of the buyer has allegedly entered ..read more

Pakuranga MP and Transport Minister Simeon Brown, right. File photo supplied By Simeon Brown, Member of Parliament for Pakuranga The Coalition Government is committed to getting New Zealand moving in the right direction again and we are moving at pace to deliver the change our country needs. As Minister of Transport, a key piece of work I have been undertaking is our plan to build 15 new Roads of National Significance (RoNS) around New Zealand. These RoNS were outlined in our Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport released earlier this year, which prioritises economic growth and ..read more