Stockade Hill too important to lose

Having spaces to remember and reflect on those we've lost is an important part of community. Stockade Hill is that place for Howick and surrounding area, serving as a gathering place for locals.

It's also the perfect place to appreciate the amazing harbour, mountains and city that surround us. A view that we cannot afford to lose.

“The Cenotaph on Stockade Hill, known as Howick’s War Memorial, was unveiled but the Governor General Lord Jellicoe on 13 January 1921 to commemorate the 30 locals who lost their lives during WW1.

Made from Coromandel granite, this obelisk stands as a proud landmark of Howick, the site of Howick’s Anzac Day services.”

— Save Stockade Hill Views

Tarnica Park issues go deeper than just anti-social behaviour

There are serious concerns about safety in Tarnica Park with reports of anti-social behaviour, fighting and even a stabbing not long ago. Check out this Times article for more.

It's very concerning to see these issues happening, especially in my local park. There's a range of things we need to do and locals are asking for the Local Board to install lights. This isn't a silver bullet, but it's a good start and I fully support getting them installed as soon as possible and I'm not alone.

On Saturday we had a public meeting in the park and the solid turnout of local residents despite the pouring rain was encouraging. There were some very concerning stories about issues in the park which has left many residents concerned about allowing their children walk through it in daylight.

I spoke about what the Botany Crime Watch Patrol does in the area to help protect our community. I've spoken to our Operations Manager who's ensured that we have this park noted as needing extra checks.

In my personal opinion there's more work that needs doing, including having the park assessed for safety, known as crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). This is being arranged for Tarnica Park now, but we need to take a proactive approach to security in our parks and have them all assessed, starting with the parks people visit the most. New parks and redesigns go through this process but we need to assess what we've got already.

Macleans Park has new friends

Great first meeting of the Friends of Macleans Park, a new community group to reduce the pests and weeds in the park while replanting and improving the natural environment.

Plenty to do but volunteers (including the local college) are keen to get started and are led by local legend Matthew Brajkovich. Great to see this supported by Auckland Council Biodiversity team, Volunteers Manager Sarah and Pest Free Howick.

More to come so follow along at the Facebook page.

Women's safety is everyone's concern

I’m struggling with the Grace Millane story. What happened is awful and wrong, and my heart goes out to her family and friends.

There’s lots of theories and talk about what happened. I understand people trying to come to terms with it, make meaning out of a senseless act. But there are no excuses, drugs, alcohol, clothing, dating/hookup apps, sex, anything the victim did. There are no excuses, it is never okay.

I’ve also heard people seem surprised that it happened here. We need to face facts, our country is not safe for women - New Zealand is considered one of the worst in the developed world in terms of safety for women.

A large part of this because of our appalling domestic violence. An average of 13 women, 10 men, and 9 children are killed each year due to domestic violence. Nearly 40% of our women will be victims of abuse from a close partner. Disabled women are twice as likely to be victims of abuse than women.

One in five women will be victims of sexual assault as an adult and most go unreported. Estimates suggest that 91% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police. Of those that are reported, only 13% result in a conviction.

I don’t want to ruin people’s view of our country but admitting we have a problem is the first step to dealing with it. Especially us men, who more often than not are the perpetrators. Obviously most men don’t commit these awful acts, but some of us are bystanders which enables it to continue. It can be hard, calling our friends, families, neighbors and strangers out but we cannot let this continue.

We have every right be be angry and upset about the appalling actions that ended Grace’s life, let’s direct that passion into doing something about it to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Call the Police on 111 if you think someone is in danger.

Support the community organisations trying to help those in need.
https://womensrefuge.org.nz/ 
http://www.2shine.org.nz/

Ask others if they’re okay and support them if they need it. http://www.areyouok.org.nz/

Don’t condone or walk past violence, that includes physical, sexual or psychological. https://whiteribbon.org.nz/

Challenge ourselves and those around us to take this issue seriously. Don’t joke about violence or make excuses.

There are candlelight vigils being organised for this week, a good opportunity to come together and share our compassion and solidarity. 
Auckland: https://www.facebook.com/events/1062548473924944/
Howick: https://www.facebook.com/events/1950321131682152/
Wellington: https://www.facebook.com/events/206809043527948/

Youth leaders delivering for Howick

2018 Howick youth Council Leadership Team

This evening (December 4 2018) the Howick Youth Council presented their review for 2018. What an incredible year for an awesome and inspiring group of people!

I’ve had the privilege of seeing these young people work and they’re unstoppable. Their determination and passion for their community makes me proud to live in the area.

They’ve delivered dozens of projects across the year, hosting over 465 people at events ranging from performing arts, first aid courses, networking events and life skills. Their by-election videos and public debate were some of the best I’ve seen and raised the bar. All while having fun and building friendships.

Congratulations to the 2018 members and welcome to the 2019 crew (you’ve got big shoes to fill).