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A North Shore couple who worked for over a decade to maintain one of Auckland’s most popular beaches are heartbroken after Auckland Council removed their toy library and “lost and found” service from Long Bay.
Auckland Council acknowledged they removed “non-compliant signage” but have extended their thanks to the couple and expressed a desire to find a way forward.
Jeanine and Phillip Oxenius live near Long Bay Regional Park and visit every morning to pick up rubbish and remove discarded items from the beach to place in a “lost and found” they set up, marked with a handmade sign.
They also set up a “toy library” for beach toys left behind and a “stick library” for dog owners visiting the beach that frames the park.
Jeanine Oxenius said the pair often visited twice daily, dropping in again in the evening to do another sweep of the beach’s golden sand.
But after years of service, the pair say their cleaning and tidying days are over after all traces of their volunteering were removed by council staff.
“I’ve done my stint, I just can’t be bothered any more,” Jeanine Oxenius told the Herald, claiming “you just can’t reason” with Auckland Council.
“I’ve done their dirty work for 10 years. They will now see how dirty the beach actually becomes.”
The council reported Oxenius to police and said her actions were “disgusting and insensitive”.
The toy library at Long Bay Beach, installed by Phillip and Jeanine Oxenius. Photo / Michael Craig
Jeanine Oxenius recently noticed the signs and the couple’s lost and found collection were missing and appealed to the local community for information.
She told the Herald she was informed by council workers cleaning the park that, while they had clearance to remove the lost and found items, they had not removed the signs themselves and so Jeanine and Phillip replaced them.
The new signs lasted just a matter of days, with the pair returning from a short holiday to find them gone again.
“I can’t win,” Jeanine Oxenius said.
The stick library for dog walkers at Long Bay. Photo / Tess Bos
Many locals expressed their displeasure online, joining a discussion on social media to praise the Oxenius’ efforts.
“That’s so sad. It gave our little community beach a soul that made me proud,” one person wrote.
Others labelled the council’s decision as “absolutely ridiculous” and bemoaned that their rates weren’t covering rubbish collection from the beach itself.
At least one local complained on social media the couple had collected “beach rubbish” for children to take, a claim fiercely defended by Oxenius who insisted she and her husband removed any rubbish they found and instead only placed genuine toys back on offer to visiting children.
“I’m heartbroken,” Oxenius said.
“I’ve lost the will to live because I’m trying to do something good and it keeps backfiring.”
Phillip Oxenius hard at work collecting rubbish at Long Bay.
Auckland Council’s northern principal ranger Jason Maguiness told the Herald that Auckland Council was “extremely grateful” for Jeanine and Phillip’s efforts and open to discussing future community projects to keep Long Bay rubbish-free.
Maguiness said Auckland Council parks and community facilities operations staff regularly monitor Long Bay Beach to assess and remove rubbish, while Regional Park rangers focus on maintaining the park itself and protecting its native flora and fauna.
“We do unfortunately come across a large amount of non-compliant signage in our regular checks. We manage this by removing signs from our beaches and park areas that have not been approved by the council.
“In this case, we acknowledge that removing signage relating to a ‘lost and found’ collection site for items left on the beach may have been upsetting for some locals.”
Maguiness said council staff had not been able to contact Jeanine and Phillip Oxenius before the signage was removed but have “reached out” since learning of their concern and wanted to support the couple’s efforts.
“We are extremely grateful to Jeanine and Phillip Oxenius for their commitment to keep Long Bay free of rubbish over the years.
“We are certainly open to discussing any further community projects at Long Bay that may help protect this popular regional park and ensure it stays rubbish-free.”
Jeanine and Phillip Oxenius told the Herald they had received a single phone call from the council after the signs were removed and called for an apology, adding that they were happy for someone else to take on their previous role but were sick of dealing with Auckland Council.
Jeanine Oxenius said she didn’t want to fight this time.
“I’m sick and tired,” she said.
“I don’t even want to go down to the beach anymore.
“It used to be my happy place, but they have taken it away from me.”
Chris Marriner is an Auckland-based journalist covering trending news and social media. He joined the Herald in 2003 and previously worked in the Herald’s visual team.
