Devonport resident Dianne Hale retired as chair of the Devonport Business Association at its AGM at the end of September. Dianne is a community champion who has assisted Devonport and the wider North Shore community in so many ways over the years. Channel Mag’s Aidan Bennett has enjoyed a close association with Dianne. Their paths have crossed continually. He has seen first-hand the difference that Dianne has made. He sat down at Dulcie Café on Devonport’s waterfront for a chat with Dianne in late September.
Dianne Hale is one of those people there will only ever be one of. She’s a gem. When I heard of her retirement from the role as chair of the Devonport Business Association, I knew we had to do something to acknowledge her service to not only that organisation, but many others.
I have known Dianne for a long time. She used to work in the bank with my late father Noel way back. That was her first job. Ironically, she also conducted my father’s funeral service in 2011. She’s been a marriage and civil celebrant since 1998. I once joined her ticket to stand for the local board. She romped in and I missed out. It was reassuring to learn during our chat that she failed herself at her first attempt at being elected to council back in 1989. More recently I spent three years as the local board representative (when I was successfully elected!) on the Devonport Business Association and saw what a solid pair of hands she is in the governance space.
Dianne Hale has been part of the North Shore area for most of her life. She was brought up in Whenuapai and married Dennis, from the Hale’s Bakery family in Takapuna. Fifty-six years ago they settled in Devonport and have never left. They love it. The family business, Fleet Street Panel Beaters, in central Devonport, was set up in 1971 and 52 years later is still going strong, these days run by their son Nathan. Until a few years ago Dianne guided the admin for the business, often keeping it going when Dennis was travelling around the world as an international rugby league referee.
It was when Dianne ran the mid-week section of the Ngataringa Tennis Club back in the '80s that she first thought about becoming a local body councillor. Dianne and a fellow member realised that if the club wanted to retain members it needed to install artificial courts. However the request to underwrite the cost was not supported by the then Devonport Borough Council and it annoyed her. Consequently, Dianne stood and was duly elected to the Devonport Borough Council in 1986. She first stood for North Shore City Council in 1989 but missed out. She stood again in 1992 (she says talked into it by Ken McKay), was successful, and went on to serve until the amalgamation of the Auckland supercity in 2010. She was deputy mayor under George Wood for three terms. Dianne was then elected to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board in 2010, serving two terms before retiring in 2016, completing almost 30 years in local body politics.
What I really like about Dianne is how she is always focused on getting things done. Not an easy thing to do in local body politics. She says she loved council and was particularly proud of the projects she led, too numerous to name, but the northern busway would have to top the list.
“I chaired the busway committee at council for more than nine years and we copped a great deal of criticism of the project back then. We held our nerve and built it. It is a thrill to see how it has blossomed; it is just a pity that some of the pushback watered down parts of the project, such as the proposed Northcote Busway Station close to the bridge and Onewa Road. Opposition meant it didn’t happen. It would have been a great asset for the area.”
Dianne says it is a shame that the Auckland Council structure has taken away the local knowledge of the area from governance of the North Shore.
“I wish we could have kept our own North Shore council. Amalgamation with Rodney to create a bigger entity may have been a better option. North Shore City Council was a pretty well-run council with good planning and manageable debt levels. Investments were being made in all the right areas. Now, a lot of our money goes elsewhere.”
Dianne’s service to the community was recognised with a Queens Service Order (QSO) in 2008.
Serving her community is certainly part of Dianne’s DNA. As well as her council and local board work she has served in a governance role for many organisations. These have included the North Harbour Stadium Trust, and she still serves on the Navy Museum Trust Board and a North Shore Fund committee. She retired in 2021 as a community magistrate in the criminal court, serving from 2010 through until 2021, a role she really enjoyed. Dianne is also a Justice of the Peace (JP), appointed in 1995.
Following on from her local board involvement, Dianne was elected to join the Devonport Business Association board in 2016 as chair. It is a role she has really enjoyed, but believes it was time for a fresh pair of hands.
“The DBA plays a very important role for Devonport businesses and I have enjoyed the seven to eight years immensely,” said Dianne. “At the time I first became involved, the building height issue was very contentious and the Covid years have also brought their challenges. Business viability with the changing retail landscape and working with the new Auckland Council structure, with issues such as roading and parking, have also added complexity for the DBA. I do feel we have operated well, despite all these challenges. We have some excellent new people coming on to the board which is good.
“We have some great businesses in Devonport and real customer loyalty from locals. I am excited about the future, particularly with the investment that is being made by Peninsula Capital in the village. These are local people who I believe only want the best for their home patch and that has got to be good for Devonport. I know they are keen to support the DBA efforts. I have heard it said that Devonport can be the Sausilito (i.e. San Francisco) of Auckland. I reckon that is a pretty good aspiration, and this type of investment can only help.”
While Dianne’s retirement from the DBA may mean slowing down, she has found herself another passion. Croquet. She loves playing, and with her friend Jenny they’re driving the fundraising efforts for the North Shore Croquet Club to finance improvements to its Wairoa Road facility. Sounds like a job for Dianne! Throw in tai chi, pilates, and mahjong, with boating and fishing planned for the better weather, and she easily manages to fill her days!
Channel Magazine salutes Dianne Hale. Thanks for your work for the DBA and what you have done for the wider North Shore Community.
