LOOK BACK: IT'S BEEN A BUSY YEAR.
The Auckland region has been through dizzying highs and some painful lows in 2008. In every aspect of life, from food to finance,we've undergone plenty of deconstruction - and, as always in Auckland, even more construction.
There have been difficult moments.We've lost more children to domestic violence and tragic accidents. All have struggled with a free-falling economy.
On the 352nd day of 2008, we revisit some of the biggest cover stories from The Aucklander, the best community newspaper in New Zealand. They were stories that triggered a response from the community and made us look closer at who we are and where we are heading.
The sunken ship
FIREWORKS, Kiwi rock legends and old warbirds. There should have been some old warhorses too, but the Doobie Bros didn't rock on up for Aquatica, formerly known as the Auckland Harbour Festival.
Dave Stewart planned something big to celebrate Auckland's ocean-going personality, an Anniversary Weekend show-stopper of free concerts, seafood, boating and street parties.
"I'm just passionate about Auckland, and to show people that you can do something," the organiser said in the leadup to the event.
"This is an amazing city. It's got many of the bonuses of big cities, but we've retained that magic of summer holidays, sailing P-classes, and we can do it right in the inner city."
News reports suggested 200,000 or more turned up to the Viaduct-centred occasion. But the music has stopped: there's no money to repeat the free show in 2009.
"Last year went really well," says Stewart. "Unfortunately, we are not in the position to continue without council funding. When you have a young event you need the help."
In a climate of budget cuts, when even David Beckham can't draw a crowd to Mt Smart Stadium and local councils shrink from bad publicity, that help is unlikely.
Judgment Day
CHRISTMAS can be the most dangerous time for families. In 2008, Auckland's Family Violence Courts faced a ballooning number of cases after the holidays.
In February, we told you these three specially tasked courts were struggling to cope with a surge in numbers and with limited resources.
Scheduling an extra day to hear cases has made a big difference to the court's capabilities, says Auckland City Family Violence Court Judge Lex de Jong.
"We haven't had problems with backlog since adding the extra day," the Judge says. But Manukau and Waitakere still struggle with their caseloads and resolving issues within the legally required time.
Cost of living
THE STORY of the year was the economy. Prices of petrol, rent and milk have had Aucklanders up in arms but there was little anyone could do. In July, we asked four families to tell us just how they were coping.
Those were tough times, and not much has changed. Lynley and Blair Turrell, our family living in Manukau's Wattle Downs, say six months on, it's all much the same. "It hasn't improved a great deal. Things are still tight," says Mr Turrell, "but I guess it's not as bad as it was. The drop in petrol has helped and the change in interest rates is good."?
Helen Walton and her husband, Kevin, were our young city couple. Not long after the birth of their first child, Mr Walton lost his job. The family lived off savings. In six months life has improved.
"Kevin has found a job," says Mrs Walton. "But groceries have gone up even more since July, so in the end, it's hard to judge. We have had increased income in the last little while but it's still pretty difficult."
Out west, things are also tight for Kaylene Tribe and her family. Husband Kevin is a builder and they are noticing the downturn in the industry.
"No, things have not improved. Kevin has hardly any work. It's not looking good," says Mrs Tribe.
"We are still waltzing along, we are trying to stay positive. But there will be no holiday this summer." Kiri and Nic Hall from Northcote spent part of the last six months in Europe.
It was a relief, says Mrs Hall, to come home to a drop in petrol prices. "It was good to see," she says. "It makes a difference."
The unwelcome mat
NEW ZEALAND can be a heaven and a hell for refugee families. The heaven: relative safety, opportunities, a place to rest their heads.
The hell: misunderstandings, prejudice and struggle. In April, we met Gadir Maklaf and his parents, Moayed Sowadi and Fawzia Zahroon. The three had escaped war-torn Iraq two years earlier, crossing the Syrian border and touching down in New Zealand in January.
We showed how most refugees have a six-week induction and are then released into the cultural shock of another world, the majority without any further offers of support or help.
According to Refugee Services, the family is doing well. Moayed and Fawiza are settling and Gadir is studying at Trainsmart, an educational facility for migrants. Over the last few months he has worked voluntarily at a local garage out west. The family is making Auckland their home.
The shrinking domain
IN THE past decade, pieces of Auckland's hallowed Domain have fallen into the hands of private developers and Auckland City Hospital.
Very large pieces, we found in February when we wanted to map how big the Domain is supposed to be, how big it really is, and what's stopping it from becoming smaller.
Our story, Honey, They Shrunk the Domain, triggered outrage from readers and a 'clarification' from Auckland City Council.
In March, Ruth Stokes, Auckland City's manager of recreation policy, told us the council was not reviewing the Domain's boundaries. But some 'tidying' was being done.
At the same time, Auckland Tennis asked the Government to let it stay longer at its Stanley St stadium by passing a Domain Amendment Bill.
After seeing commercial development eat into the the park's boundaries Domain-lovers were suspicious when they heard that an English leisure firm, Next Generation, planned fitness and gym facilities, cafes and bars, concentrated around a new sports centre within the existing tennis site. The bill passed through Parliament in May.
To smack ... or not
THE REFERENDUM is nigh. In May, we marked the one-year anniversary of the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Bill, commonly known as the 'antismacking' bill.
Parents in Auckland were divided, as was the rest of the country. In July 2009, New Zealand will decide. A citizen-generated postal referendum will ask: "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?".
Bob McCoskrie, from the Family First organisation, pushed for the referendum, finally collecting more than 310,000 signatures.
Green MP Sue Bradford says she welcomes further discussion on a bill she pushed for. "The nature of the question is going to make it difficult for people on all sides of the debate," says Ms Bradford.
"But I welcome debate on how we should morally and legally treat our children."
Crowded house
IT IS nice to have family close. But when they all live under one roof, it can become a little too close for comfort.
In June, we told of Auckland's overcrowded homes. As the financial situation worsens, so does Auckland's housing crisis.
This month, Community Housing Aotearoa has sounded the alarm bell again. The group is reiterating issues raised by The Aucklander earlier this year.
Unsanitary conditions, and simply too many people for the house to cope, are increasingly common in communities lacking affordable housing.
With rents climbing past $330 a week for a threebedroom home, some families are sharing. This can mean up to 15 people in a one-toilet house.
"The situation is so dire," says Community Housing Aotearoa, "that some builders are including a phone jack and aerial plug in the garages of their newer developments.
Living in a garage should, at no point, be considered a viable option for any person or family."
The Lost Children
IN OCTOBER, we brought you the story of Auckland's lost children. Thousands of our kids are being hurt by the very people who are supposed to protect them: their parents.
These children, we pointed out, are missed by the social and health services that should be there to help. Since our report, and the end of the Nia Glassie trial, there has been a greater awareness of the problem of domestic violence, particularly against children. In the past week, our parent newspaper has launched a campaign called Our Lost Children.
Jill Proudfoot, from Preventing Violence in the Home, says there is always great media interest when a child dies.
"But, because the media has kept asking questions, it has been put back onto the public consciousness," says Ms Proudfoot.
"People have been asking how they can help. Christmas is meant to be a happy time for children but, for thousands, it is not."
THESE ARE JUST EIGHT OF THE STORIES THAT CHANGED AUCKLANDERS' WORLD A LITTLE THIS YEAR. THEY ARE YOUR STORIES. IN 2009, WE WILL BRING YOU MORE OF THEM.
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