It's the end of the world as we know it

Panmure's heart will soon be ripped out. Sean Gillespie explains why transplants nearby don't cut the mustard.
Brian Hetherington isn't a happy man. Word has leaked that the focal point of his community is shutting up shop and shifting to greener pastures.
The 80-year-old says his town will be lost without the Panmure New World.
"We really object to them closing the place. It destroys the whole Panmure community. It's a hub; it's where everyone comes."
The supermarket has been the former Kumeu vineyard owner's regular since he retired to Panmure 20 years ago. He's concerned the closure - scheduled for the middle of next year - will have a terrible impact on the suburb's elderly residents.
"Where will they go for a local supermarket?" he asks. "They'll have to go to the local dairy and pay dairy prices."
Mr Hetherington says, apart from preferring familiar places, many old folk aren't flush with money and won't easily afford the extra bus fares to shop at supermarkets in other "towns".
Chris Sutton, town centre manager for Panmure Business Association, is also very concerned. She says many residents have come to see her to express their dismay at the pending closure. "It's like a death in the community for them."
Ms Sutton says the supermarket doubles as a social hub for elderly people who appreciate knowing the people who serve them. Another issue, she says, is how the loss of the town's supermarket will impact on the independence of these elderly.
She wrote a letter almost three months ago to New World's parent company, Foodstuffs, to highlight community concerns. However, she has not yet received a response.
Many people in this community are worried Foodstuffs won't be able to let the remaining building because of its large size and a lack of suitable tenants. This would leave a hole in the town.
Keith Sharp, secretary of Panmure Community Action Group, is also unimpressed with the pending closure.
"The loss of the New World supermarket will definitely be a big blow to the Panmure town centre," he says.
"You can't have a town the size of Panmure without a supermarket, and we think it's departure is a symptom of all that has been wrong with the council's town planning processes."
He says a key issue for the supermarket has been the Jellicoe Rd and Panmure roundabout traffic bottleneck.
"Our group told council 10 years ago this needed to be resolved quickly but they have failed to do so. While the council planners have procrastinated on this issue for a decade, the entire Sylvia Park shopping centre has been built and now Lunn Ave [New World] is developing and taking more businesses away."
The new store will be more than 2km away, not a great distance by car but just a bit far for some of the older people who currently walk, especially toting heavy grocery bags.
Moving on
Foodstuffs general manager for property strategy, Angela Bull, calls it a "relocation" rather than a closure.
The company will swap the 28-year-old Panmure New World for a bigger, brighter supermarket in nearby Mt Wellington. The Lunn Ave store is expected to open the day after the Panmure New World closes permanently  next year.
Ms Bull says Foodstuffs is reviewing plans for its Panmure site but it's too early to speculate. "We're very conscious of the community feedback and certainly we'll use our best endeavours to minimise any disruption."