If you are thinking of volunteering, you might want to think about what types of activities you enjoy, what skills and experience you have to offer, what causes are important to you, and, how much time you would be willing to commit – this will give you direction.

If there is a particular organisation you would like to volunteer with, don’t be afraid to contact them and ask if they have any volunteer positions which you could apply for.

Depending upon your interest you could approach different types of organisations such as:

•  Education providers – they may need volunteers to help with fundraising, governance, maintenance and upkeep of property or information technology support.
• Youth Organisations – they may be looking for mentors, activities organisers, drivers and more.
•  Animal Welfare groups – they may want people to do hands–on care of animals or advocating for animal rights.
•  Environmental and Conservation groups – they may be nationwide or have a local focus.
•  Professional Interest, Cultural or Creative groups may need volunteers for organising events, governance, professional advice, marketing and publicity or management.

However, volunteering at Citizens Advice Bureau worked for me. CAB has been serving the community for over 40 years and this amazing service is provided by volunteers. It offers volunteers a great opportunity for personal learning and development. I have been volunteering at CAB Pakuranga from 2015 and I haven’t looked back since. Volunteering here has helped me learn new skills, knowledge and gain experience. It helps to meet new people and form life long friendships. Plus, making an invaluable difference. All this while having fun!

At the moment, CAB Pakuranga/Botany is looking for volunteers to work as Interviewers. If you are a good communicator, problem solver, confident in using a computer, eager to learn and work in a multicultural organisation contact Louise on 576 9170. You will not regret it!

Solutions has been compiled by Vani, from the Pakuranga Citizens Advice Bureau. Visit us at the Library Building, Pakuranga, Phone 576 8331 and at Botany Citizens Advice Bureau, rear Food Court Entrance, Botany Town Centre, Phone 271 5382 or 0800 267 222 for free, confidential and informative help.

The post Thinking of volunteering? appeared first on Times.

Daffodil day 

The Interact Club at Elim Christian College (a service organisation that is part of Rotary) took the initiative of inviting guests to an NCEA Level music exam at $10 a pop to raise funds for cancer patients for Daffodil Day.

Why not make an event out of an exam where extreme talent is at play was the idea behind opening up the exams for guests to witness.

The setting was stunning, and the evening was absolutely delightful as young musicians-in-the-making performed with confidence and immense stage presence.

From pianists, drummers, violinists and vocalists to bands playing their favourite songs and soulful solo performances, the students showcased sparks of brilliance. And the guests were even served dinner.

Goes to show that the new board of directors of the Interact Club led by President Alesha Kant are doing a great job of giving back to the community.

The post Fundraiser hits a high note appeared first on Times.

The post Today Sunnyhills School dressed in black to back the All Blacks for the Rugby World Cup appeared first on Times.

Those who thought dinosaurs were extinct, were in for a shock as hundreds of dinosaurs descended onto the grounds of Owairoa Primary School on Monday, celebrating the opening of this year’s Book Week.

The visiting dinosaurs not only included Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Diplodocus but also a huge variety of other dinosaurs; some with over 1000 teeth, dinosaurs who could swim, eat meat and plants and those that waved their long, strong scaly tails, narrowly missing the gathered spectators.

A group of paleontologists were on-site digging for fossils and a number of dinosaur eggs were uncovered from the deep, sandy fossil pits. The eggs were carefully distributed to each classroom and will be observed as they hatch out over the next week or so.

Owairoa Primary School students participated in the Grand Parade with over 900 marching dinosaurs and then gathered together to give a huge dinosaur roar that exceeded 180 decibels!

The opening celebration concluded with a huge Dinosaur Stomp to dinosaur music.

Students and their families then visited the Book Fair in the school hall to choose and purchase from a wide range of books. The Book Fair is open all this week.

The post The Dinosaurs’ Stomp appeared first on Times.

They were determined to win the cup this year even if it meant persuasively arguing their way to the top after debating with more than 80 teams.

Ormiston Senior College Year 12 students, Ryan Iglesia, Solana Carpenter and Akira Maharaj can’t believe they are the winners of the Auckland Schools Debating senior Auckland grade as they cleverly won the battle of words, cutting the competition from 82 to 16 teams which was finally slashed down to just two.

“We try to think of everything the other team would say and then work on how to counter it,” says Solana.

“We’ve grown a lot as a team and now I find it’s so much easier for us to understand the points of clash.”

Having debated as a team for around five years, they say they are very comfortable with each other, enough to criticise one another when they think they have not done well enough.

Seventeen-year-old Ryan says that last year they were so close to winning but lost the final round. “We were just one debate away. This year we were very determined to win the cup. We prepared ourselves by enrolling for the debating acceleration programme at Auckland University and also participated at a debating tournament in Lynfield.”

As luck would have it, the motion for the final round was: ‘This house regrets schools teaching the idea that effort and participation is more important than winning’.

“It was tough as we had to agree to the motion,” says Ryan.

Another time they put all their oratory and analytical skills to test was when they had to negate the motion: ‘Implementing compulsory vaccine regulation’.

“It’s something we don’t personally agree with but had to argue otherwise, which wasn’t easy at all,” says Akira.

What matters though is at the end of the challenging debating rounds, the trio not only won the championship but each of them won the top three Speakers Award as well.

The post 82 teams, one highly debated cup appeared first on Times.

While most seniors would love to embrace technology, many struggle to connect with their iPhones.

Aman Varma, a former Pakuranga College student, understands that it is not unusual for kids his age to be technology junkies–even as there exists a yawning gap between an iPhone generation and seniors trying to cope with fast-paced technology to keep up with their grandchildren and the rest of world.

Wanting to help, the computer science major at the University of Auckland has been working on an iPhone guide for the last four years.

The iGuide comes with step-by-step instructions and screenshots designed to help  the elderly build confidence to use iPhone.

In 2015, the Times published an article on Aman with a group of students taking second place in the regional finals of the Lions Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme. The Year 13 team at Pakuranga College was involved the idea of a smartphone guide for seniors.

After the article was published in the Times the young business enterprise group received a number of queries from individuals and retirement villages showing a keen interest in the guide.

“We found a real disconnect between seniors and technology and decided to create viable solutions for this problem,” says Aman.

“After I finished college, I decided to continue writing the book with the hope that someday senior citizens will benefit out of it. I checked with my team mates if they were ok with me taking the project to the next level and they were fine it. ”

The iGuide is designed with the goal of empowering senior citizens by helping them confidently utilise their iPhones. It covers 10 essential iPhone apps including settings, contacts, messages, phone, mail (email), Safari (internet), and how to use the camera, sharing photos and making an album, using the App Store to download apps and more.

Aman, who has invested a lot into the book, says it has been a huge learning curve in terms of the business aspect of publishing. Now, the enterprising university student has not only managed to publish 1000 books but also has the interest of retirement villages.

iGuide releases next month and is currently available for pre-order at  iguideforiphone.com with free shipping for all purchases made within New Zealand. 

The post Being smart about connecting with iPhones appeared first on Times.

 A play by: By Dianne Francis

 Directed by: Fiona Bailey

In Search of Kiwi Magic is a beautiful story of two children, Tip and Top who go back in time with their pet Kiwi and discover New Zealand’s enchanted past. On their amazing journey Tip and Top meet many fascinating characters and are guided by the keeper of the greenstone mountain.

Written by local New Zealander Dianne Francis and directed by Fiona Bailey the show is performed by a cast of 22 students of the Howick Children’s and Youth Theatre.

Bailey said: “This is a truly wonderful story. The children have worked really hard learning their lines and songs to create a show filled with fun costumes, beautiful scenery and quirky characters that really capture what New Zealand is all about.”

Where: The Harlequin Theatre, 563 Pakuranga Road

When: October 3, 4, 5 At 1.30pm & 4pm

Cost:  $8

Audience:  Suited to four years and older

The post In search of Kiwi magic – at the Harlequin theatre appeared first on Times.

The post Howick History Podcast series appeared first on Times.

In association with times.co.nz reporter Jim Birchall presents a new podcast detailing the history of the settlement known as “perhaps Auckland’s most historically conscious place”- Howick & surrounding districts. Joined by local historians, the inaugural episodes delve into east Auckland’s past, exploring the original inhabitants of Owairoa, and their interaction with European settlers in the 19th Century.

The creation of Howick and its transformation from an agricultural service town to busy commercial hub, coupled with its strategic value during the Land Wars is discussed in further episodes, as is the area’s proud Fencibles pioneer heritage. The first episode can be found via  The Times website www.times.co.nz.

The post Howick History- a new podcast series appeared first on Times.

Elim Christian College’s snowboarding team made its mark at the Secondary School Championships last week.

The school has a proud track record in the sport.

Noah Wotton made the finals of the slopestyle picking up silver in the banked slalom. He was also named top male rider for the competition.

Adele Benns placed 4th place in the banked slalom and qualified 4th for the finals in the slopestyle and in the end took out 3rd  place–a huge effort for her.

The girls’ team claimed 3rd place overall.

The post Wotton named top male rider appeared first on Times.

‘Smales Trail’ author’s latest offering chronicles the extraordinary Arthur Purchas

Arthur Purchas was said to be perhaps the most gifted person ever to come to this country. Surgeon and doctor, architect, engineer, geologist, explorer, musician, botanist, artist, priest, inventor, in his time he was one of our most prominent citizens.

A sometimes tetchy relationship with the similarly determined and accomplished Bishop Selwyn could have been a block to either man’s subsequent achievements. What happened between the two men and what was really behind their amicable split? Why did Governor Grey ask Purchas to help Te Wherowhero? Who was actually responsible for designing many of the ‘Selwyn’ churches? What was Purchas’s ‘miracle cure’ in breaking the typhoid epidemic at Purewa in 1847?

His wide range of accomplishments includes horticultural and botanical discoveries, musical composition and expertise, significant geological exploration, and the first European discovery of coal deposits in the Waikato. His architectural designs still stand today among the country’s finest heritage buildings.

If you are interested in what was really behind the outbreak of the 1860s Land Wars, then Purchas’s story will help explain.

His mostly unheralded role in the years leading up to that conflict – and documented here in detail – grew from his close relationship with the first two Maori Kings, Te Wherowhero Potatau and Matutaera, their advisers Tamati Ngapora and Te Paea, and Kingitanga allies like Wiremu Tamihana and Rewi Maniapoto.

Serious financial struggles, family tragedy and despair play out against the early background of Auckland’s social ills before Purchas goes on to achieve astonishing success in pioneer abdominal surgery, engineering and the formation of Auckland’s foremost cultural institutions like the Museum and Society of Art.

The Purchas story of exceptional achievement, tragedy and adventure, great moral and ethical dilemma, has remained largely untold – until now.

The post No Ordinary Man- The untold tale of Arthur Purchas appeared first on Times.

POLITICS

Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown recently returned from a parliamentary exchange to the United States with a much stronger view that New Zealand should not be legalising the sale of marijuana.

He travelled with a cross party delegation of MPs visiting the US capital Washington DC and the State of Colorado. The delegation comprised Dan Bidois, Nicola Willis, Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Willow-Jean Prime and Darroch Ball.

Sponsored by the American Council of Young Political Leaders, the purpose of the exchange was to gain a better understanding of the American political system and to build relationships.

The delegation met with a range of political and government leaders discussing a range of topics, from trading opportunities with the United States, international security, and domestic policies such as the use of natural resources and law and order.

“These discussions were opportunities to learn, exchange ideas and bring that knowledge back to New Zealand,” says Brown.

“I also took a keen interest in the issue of legalised marijuana.  Visiting Colorado was an opportunity to see first-hand what legalising marijuana might look like as it was the first State in the US to fully do so. This was particularly pertinent given the fact that we here in New Zealand will be faced with a referendum at next year’s election on whether we should legalise marijuana.

“What was clearly apparent from visiting Colorado was the ease of accessibility to marijuana which came as a direct result of legalisation. A common statistic provided was the fact that there are more shops selling marijuana in Colorado than McDonalds restaurants and Starbucks cafés combined,” he says.

Inside these marijuana shops was the availability of highly potent marijuana products that are marketed to be attractive to young people. These include marijuana lollies, popcorn, cake, chocolate and other similar products.

“A common argument in support of legalising marijuana is that it will take the sale of the product out of the hands of gangs and the black market. In Colorado the opposite has happened,” he says.

“Colorado now has a bigger black market than before the legalisation of marijuana took place. This is due to a number of factors including the tax rate on marijuana being set at a level that allows people to undercut the legal market and a growing export market with marijuana being illegally grown in Colorado and exported to other States in the US.”

When talking to state leaders on both sides of this issue it was apparent that the process of legalising via a referendum was considered fraught with challenges, Brown says.

Since legalising marijuana through a referendum, Colorado has needed to update regulations multiple times in order to close loopholes and issues which were not foreseen initially.

“If Colorado is anything to go by, legalising marijuana will lead to the increased availability of marijuana with highly potent products specifically targeting our young people being introduced and no guarantees of a reduction in gang activity in the drug market.

“In my view, New Zealanders should be very cautious before heading down the path of legalising marijuana, because once legalised it will be very hard to come back.”

The post Visit to the US opens MP’s eyes to the pot industry appeared first on Times.

DANCE

The students of Ruske Performing Arts in East Tamaki are undertaking the trip of a lifetime with 15 dancers heading to Disneyland and New York!

This team of dancers from seven to 17-years-old have spent the last eight months rehearsing tirelessly for this trip.

While in Los Angeles and Hollywood they have the opportunity to undertake workshops at some of the best studios in the city, as well perform at Disneyland, Citadel Shopping Centre and Universal Studios.

From there they are jumping on a plane and travelling over to New York where they get to take more workshops as well as take a tour of Amsterdam Theatre the second oldest operating theatre in New York–where they get to go backstage and try on costumes.

The students have worked tirelessly doing sausage sizzles, car washes, movie nights, a disco and quiz night to raise funds and now it’s time for them to take off to Disneyland.

The post Young dancers head to Disneyland and New York appeared first on Times.

National MP’s Simeon Brown and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi have launched a petition to help save Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) from the Government’s “radical proposal” to merge all polytechs across New Zealand into one nationwide megapolytechnic.

Under the Government’s proposals, every aspect of the vocational education sector is under attack, they said in a media statement..

“Apprentices are being sent back to polytechnics, polytechnics are being amalgamated into legacy campuses, jobs are being lost, cash and community assets will be centrally controlled, and regional autonomy is being stripped away,” they said.

“What this means locally is that MIT will be merged into one nationwide mega-polytech which will make decisions on local skills needs, what courses are available locally and local apprenticeship training.

The reforms will also mean that cash reserves held by MIT will be snatched up by the new mega-polytechnic which will then decide how these funds are used in our region, they said.

“These changes will be disastrous for regional education and apprenticeships however the Government is pushing ahead with ideology over what is best for students and regional New Zealand.”

They continued: “We are launching a petition which urges the Government to not go ahead with merging MIT into the nationwide mega-polytech and to retain local decision making and assets in the community.

We urge locals to sign this petition and stand with National as we seek to ensure we retain local autonomy so that MIT can make decisions for our regional skill needs.

National supports apprentices and regional polytechnics and we will fight for their voice and autonomy in these ideological educational reforms.

The petition can be signed at www.kanwaljitsinghbakshi.national.org.nz/save_mit

The post Petition launched to save MIT appeared first on Times.

By Alan La Roche

When the first settlers arrived in Howick, many were disappointed at the treeless rolling hills with only native grasses and low scrub.

Many planted quick-growing Australian gum trees or pine trees for shelter from wind and for firewood.

It was Governor Grey’s policy that soldier-settler Fencibles would be labourers for better-off farmers of Pakuranga and women would be domestic servants.

But these “peasant labourers” wanted a better life than back home. They could see opportunities by buying five-acre allotments to supplement their military pensions. Most Fencibles were worn out old soldiers who initially only grew cabbages and potatoes for their family.

Initially many of the Pakuranga farm blocks were bought by those with capital, “land sharks” buying land but not farming it, only to sell it a few years later for substantial profits. They did not need farm labourers. Albin Martin said most European settlers had one ambition” to make money fast and add field to field”.

In 1851 an Auckland newspaper recorded “the banks of the Tamaki teaming with every variety of cereal wealth divided and subdivided into golden wheat enclosures, fields of brilliant barley, heavy oats, and lush paddocks of rank and verdant clover”.

It was usual to take the sacks of grain to the miller such as Partington’s Windmill in Symonds Street, Auckland. The miller kept half the flour and the farmer sold his half to grocers and bakeries.

Captain Montressor Smith, who owned today’s Bell House, planted potatoes on his 90-acre farm with an excellent crop. The next year caterpillars ate his entire crop. Many from Howick joined the Acclimatization Society who imported blackbirds, thrushes, rooks, starlings and finches. They ate the caterpillars but some thought the bird could eat ripening grain crops.

A few well-to-do farmers gave their workers meals and a bed in the barn, but no wages. Farmworkers were also expected to attend church on Sunday mornings with their farmer employer.

The five-acre Fencibles “farms” initially sent their wheat, oats, potatoes, cheese, butter, poultry and fruit to the Auckland markets from around Howick to supplement the Maori suppliers. Pakuranga land was relatively cheap at a pound an acre in the 1850s and five pounds an acre in the 1860s. Once the swing-bridge over the Tamaki River opened in 1865, farmers could deliver their produce more efficiently. The mechanical reaper and binder replaced sickle or scythes and threshing machines replaced hand-flailing. Pakuranga became “the granary of Auckland”.

With good soils and a warm climate, many Pakuranga farmers established orchards as well as growing cereal crops.

John Udy had a substantial apple orchard in Udy’s Road and alongside the Tamaki River and in the 1880s also supplied peaches, pears, quinces, plums, damsons, cherries and apricots.

His apple crops were so productive that he dried over a ton in the warm sunshine. He also sold more than 200 gallons of Pakuranga cider.

Pakuranga once rivalled Henderson for the quality and range of seasonal fresh fruit.

Today, all this productive land is now housing and we rely on most fresh produce from further afield like Pukekohe.

Alan La Roche is a local historian.

The post Pakuranga was the granary and orchard of Auckland appeared first on Times.

The issue of food waste was brought to the attention of young Kiwis through a publicity stunt organised by AUT students.

AUT University students who host the radio station Static FM – including Bethany Cogger, 21, a former Howick College student – held a publicity stunt on Tuesday to raise awareness about food waste with young New Zealanders.

The stunt was in partnership with Love Food Hate Waste. Wanted posters that dotted the halls of the university requested onlookers to save the human-sized vegetables and fruits running around the city campus from going to ‘waste’.

As the large personified bean, carrot and banana characters asked for help around campus, people were able to take a photo with them for a chance to win an eco prize pack sponsored by Love Food Hate Waste, Good For and The Eco Society. This was in line with Love Food Hate Waste’s #savethecarrot, #savethebean and #savethebanana campaign which ran throughout September.

According to the Love Food Hate Waste national food waste prevention study, those aged 16-24 are more commonly food wasters compared to other age groups.

“We felt the need to take initiative by utilising our platform to raise awareness around the environmental impact of food wastage because we wanted to educate younger generations who will be the most affected by climate change”, says Bethany, a spokesperson from Static FM.

“Kiwis throw away 157,389 tonnes of food each year which releases methane into the air, a harmful greenhouse gas. If food waste was a country, it would be the third-largest producer of carbon emissions behind China and the United States.”

For more information about Love Food Hate Waste and tips to reduce your own food wastage, visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz or head to their Facebook and Instagram pages.

The post Stop wasting food appeared first on Times.

Teachers Babette Maas from Owairoa Primary and Bridget Bear from Cockle Bay Primary have been selected for the inaugural Blake Inspire for Teachers programme.

The five-day residential programme that ended this week had 29 primary and intermediate teachers from across New Zealand who were keen to gain a deeper understanding of environmental issues and deliver environmental education to their students.

Blake Inspire for Teachers is funded by the Ministry of Education with support from Ministry for the Environment and has been specifically designed by Blake (formerly the Sir Peter Blake Trust) for teachers who are passionate about developing their environmental knowledge.

The programme aims to provide teachers with experiential learning opportunities and develop their ability to translate the experience to their students to encourage environmental action.

Blake chief executive officer James Gibson says Blake Inspire’s newest programme is designed to reach even more people, particularly young New Zealanders.

“Sir Peter Blake wanted to reach every classroom in New Zealand to inspire our rangatahi to protect the environment. Blake Inspire for Teachers is a new way of achieving this. By teaching the teachers and developing both their knowledge and confidence so they can integrate environmental education into their own school programmes means we’re reaching more and more children,” says Gibson.

During the week, delegates were teamed with world-leading scientists, environmental leaders, experts in their fields and businesses to learn about topical issues such as climate change, renewable energy, biodiversity and ocean and freshwater health.

They were also involved in developing leadership skills through a range of field trips, workshops and exercises throughout the week; learning about climate change and taking part in a sustainable energy workshop with Genesis Energy.

Teachers addressed a range of topical environmental issues facing New Zealand, including biodiversity challenges and learning about the Predator Free 2050 goal.

They also participated in a hosted tour of Air New Zealand’s engineering base to learn about energy efficiency — both on the ground and in the air; and the waste management and biosecurity approaches by airline caterer LSG.

The post Teachers chosen for first Blake Inspire programme appeared first on Times.

Saint Kentigern College’s basketball boys premier team has won the New Zealand Secondary School’s National Championships for the first time in the school’s history.

This championship has been going for 52 years.

In September the boys premier basketball team won the zone 1 regional championships beating Rosmini in the final and qualifying top seed for the upcoming nationals.

At the national championship in Palmerston North, the boys went through the tournament unbeaten – beating Mount Albert Grammar in the semi and Rosmini in the final.

Shalom Broughton, Levic Kerr and Alex McNaught were named in the tournament team. Broughton was named MVP of the tournament.

Coach Aaron Young said: Before “nationals started, our first goal was to finish top of our pool. We knew if we did that we would be in great shape for the quarters and the rest of the week.

“After a slow couple of days and some tough games against some good teams, we finally started to find our rhythm at the right time – beating Napier Boys was a massive win for us and allowed us to get ready for the quarters while everyone else had to play an extra game.

“We got some rest and then our momentum and confidence took over and we started to play some of our best basketball of the season in the biggest games.

“The support we got from friends and families all week was unbelievable. We had the loudest fans and made such a massive difference, giving us the energy we needed every time we stepped on the floor. The boys gave it everything and I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts. It’s been a special season and they deserve to be national champions.”

The post Saint Kentigern College claims NZSS championship title appeared first on Times.

Photo essay

By Chloe Polglase

Every year a group of 20 to 30 Year 12 students from Elim Christian College visit Israel.

Israel is a unique cultural and spiritual experience and students complete a 14-day tour in which they follow the footsteps of Jesus and visit culturally and spiritually significant landmarks.

The culture in Israel is very different from the culture here in New Zealand. Students had the opportunity to ride camels and float on the Dead Sea.

On the tour, students saw incredible architecture dating back to the early AD and Byzantine periods. The Israel trip is a rite of passage for many Year 12 students. It is an opportunity to be independent and allows peer to peer relationships to flourish.

Israel is of high spiritual importance to students at Elim Christian College and is highly enjoyed, as well as being incredibly impacting

The post A spiritual experience in Israel appeared first on Times.

Local historian Alan La Roche continues his series marking the district’s 170th anniversary last year and the countdown to the 175th celebrations.

When the first settlers arrived in Auckland, many expected to employ servants.

The officers of the Fencibles, ministers of religion and major land owners all had servants. But in 1847 when the Fencibles arrived in Howick, there was a great shortage of domestic servants. Many in Auckland thought that the Fencible women and their daughters or Maori would fill this role. Some demanded wages of up to £30, even though they could not iron clothes or cook. Most immigrants came to New Zealand for a better life, proper wages and time off each week as well as a bed and food.

Colonel Peacocke of Cook Street, Howick had a governess and two Portuguese servants. Governor Sir George Grey had one domestic servant. The Rev Vicesimus Lush complained about his servant Bessy Sainsbury who came with the family from England but was homesick and did not adjust to colonial duties.

She was only 15 years old but demanded one shilling a day which Lush claimed was exorbitant. Bessy was dismissed and replaced by Sarah Trimmer, Mary Heath then Sarah Mellon. They had to light the fires to boil water, cook meals, clean the house and were on call until after dinner dishes had been put away. They slept in the attic. Servants were expected to attend church with the family, but sit in the free back pews with employers in the front pews.

Mrs Jane Lynch looked after Fencible Frances Conway in Rodney Street, producing meals for two shillings a week and doing his washing for one shilling a week after his wife died leaving him with two young children to look after.

Single Fencible William Flowers had a housekeeper even though his wages and pension were low. Ann Canty washed clothes and helped with John Roche’s children after his wife died. Good servants were paid £20 to £30 a year by 1866.

One of the worst employers owned a general store and hotel in Howick whose housemaid from 11 years of age until she was 19, cooked, cleaned, and served the family for no wages but had a bed and meals provided. She was only given half a day off per year, on Christmas Day afternoon and eventually left to get married. Dr Bacot in Bleak House was generous to his servant with the same privileges as given to his children.

Larger homesteads such as Bleak House in Bleak House Road had many domestic and agricultural workers. They employed Maori girls in the kitchen. Most of the domestic and agricultural workers were given meals and a bed but no wages. Only the lead ploughman received a wage. Immigration officials brought in more domestic servants but many could see a better life if they married, which they did. It took many years before domestic and agricultural workers received fair treatment and wages.

Hemi Pepene, Pakuranga’s most successful farmer, sold his wheat crop to Australian goldfields for a better price than Partington’s flourmill in Auckland. This Maori had several Maori farm workers as well as a European servant which was unusual in the 1850s.

By the 1880s, domestic servants, cooks, housemaids and dairymaids were so hard to get that the Government advertised in Britain, offering free passages, plus wages from £25 to £50 a year, with regular time off work for their own pleasure and to make their own clothes.

Today, household servants deserve adequate wages and living conditions.

Alan La Roche is a Howick historian

The post Servant problems? appeared first on Times.