Henderson already has it all say locals

By JULIE MIDDLETON

Chat to the shopkeepers along Henderson's main street, Great North Rd, and you find that the majority were born in the ward and haven't strayed too far.

They profess great affection for Auckland, but don't feel the need to go very far from home.

Call it a silo mentality, but when you talk to the locals most say they don't see any point battling Greater Auckland's traffic when Henderson has got it all, including a university.

The co-owners of dress shop Ballgowns and Beyond, Colleen Aalbers and Ingrid Bieshaar, are typical. Both born and bred in the ward, they met at secondary school, attend the same Catholic church, and do most of their business locally.

They will both vote in local elections - "I like to have my say," says Mrs Bieshaar - and both are more likely to support candidates who share their Christian values.

Mrs Bieshaar, a 41-year-old married mother of four, is of Dutch heritage; Mrs Aalbers, 45, who has five children, married a Dutchman (or "Dutchie" as she calls them).

Her in-laws are next door and her brother is "across the paddock".

And neither can imagine living anywhere else but Auckland. "I love it," says Mrs Bieshaar, whose family home borders a park. "It's a friendly place. Low-key. There's a loyalty."

But Henderson suffers, they say, from the same malaise as Greater Auckland - increasing crowding.

Auckland now houses 1,291,000 people, with two million expected to be living within circumscribed boundaries - the Metropolitan Urban Limit - by 2050.

Henderson ward's population has grown by 16 per cent over 10 years, now housing an estimated 42,700.

Although Mrs Aalbers thinks more people "can only do us good", she describes many of the city's new housing developments as "little tacky boxes".

Adds Mrs Bieshaar: "Not a lot of thought has gone into the aesthetics. And the houses seem to be really squished. What will they look like in 20 years' time?"

High-density living also brings more cars: A drive that used to be five minutes can now be a half-hour chore, says Mrs Bieshaar. She's not bothered that the local council carpark has gone from free to $3 a day, but many others are.

Janet Dennerly, 63, who moved to Te Atatu from Westmere five years ago and works as an assistant in the Devcich Pharmacy next door, says a lack of free parking doesn't encourage people to work in the area. She was so annoyed about the introduction of fees that she went off to her first-ever council meeting to protest, brandishing a sign.

And Auckland's public transport isn't reliable, Ms Dennerly adds. She tells a story about an acquaintance's nightmare late arrival at work one day and asks: "How many times can you say, 'Sorry, boss'?"

She also wonders about the future of the main drag: the nearby mall with its chain stores, she says, is sucking people away from independent businesses. She is one of several people to tell the Herald that Great North Rd is rapidly filling up with restaurants and money-lenders.

She sees central shopping districts like Henderson's becoming "totally impersonal - I can't see how it's going to change for the better."

Her boss, 44-year-old Roger Phillips, was born and raised in Henderson, but now lives in Mt Albert. The vineyards and orchards of his childhood have disappeared as Waitakere has grown to become the fifth-largest city in New Zealand, with 168,750 residents by 2001.

But as more people cram into new housing he hopes that the Waitakere Ranges, which represents 40 per cent of the city's land area, will be protected from encroachment.

"You need to work out when enough's enough."

Henderson ward

(Waitakere City)

Area: Te Atatu Peninsula, Glendene, Sunnyvale and Henderson.

Population: 42,700 (up 16 per cent in 10 years).

Age: Young - more than a third of residents are under 24.

Race: European 69 per cent, Asian 13.4 per cent, Maori 11.4 per cent, Pacific Islanders 10.6 per cent.

Median personal income: $19,172 (just under the city median).

Most common occupation: Clerk (17 per cent), followed by people in sales and service (14 per cent) and manufacturing (17 per cent).

Source: Waitakere City; Work and IncomeThe big issue: Population growth The view from the suburbs this week:

Tuesday: Orewa.

Wednesday: Mangere.

Thursday: Mt Roskill.

Friday: Murrays Bay.