The magazine is A4 in size, printed in full colour, usually around 100 pages in length and is distributed to local businesses and in stands in the greater Ponsonby area.
Ponsonby News deals with local news, views and events, personalities, celebrities and local people, shopping, fashion and gifts, food, wine, cafes, restaurants and bars, relaxation, arts, theatre, music and motoring, accommodation and hotels, architecture, conservation and real estate, home, lifestyle, diversity and pets, wellbeing; mind, body and spirit, community, education, sport and travel.
Within New Zealand $49 for 11 issues, e-mail jay@ponsonbynews.co.nz
Thank you for your enquiry, we will get back to you soon.
PO Box 47-282 Ponsonby, Auckland 1144, NZ
The team get really busy, and appreciate visitors calling first to make a time to see us.
About Ponsonby
Ponsonby is iconic in New Zealand. EVERYONE has heard of it. Even in this global world. The Ponsonby Road 'strip' ... with its large number of bars, cafes and restaurants is what makes this infamous area such a popular place to meet. These days Ponsonby also attracts and promotes fashion. There are over 50 fashion retailers - the majority for women, but there are five or six catering exclusively to men. Then there are the homewares stores. We have some of the best along with interior design businesses.
It's all here in Ponsonby. In London it would be Notting Hill/Kensington, in Manhattan - Soho/Chelsea, in Sydney - Paddington/Darlinghurst.
Main Roads - College Hill, Jervois, Franklin, Richmond, Williamson Avenue and Surrey Crescent.
Residents have included actors, all blacks, bishops, boaties, musicians, prostitutes, romantics, revolutionaries, writers - the odd governor general and prime minister. But above all else, Ponsonby is Auckland's main creative life-force. It all seems to happen here, first.
One hundred and fifty years ago the hills and valleys of Ponsonby and Freeman's bay were covered with fern and manuka; by 1900 the landscape was covered by industry and housing. Maori had been present on the Tamaki isthmus from around 1000 AD. While many small sub-tribal groups moved through the area, Waiohua were tangata whenua until overwhelmed by Ngati Whatua in 1750. In 1840 Ngati Whatua sold substantial blocks of land around the Waitemata Harbour to Governor Hobson who established the colony's capital there. Ponsonby was originally know as Dedwood and was renamed Ponsonby in 1873.
Ponsonby's streets are lined with character villas, many have remained untouched while others, still maintaining their original character, have been renovated to fit with modern urban life style living. That is what makes Ponsonby, PONSONBY. There are many different parts of our area ... like Freeman's Bay, with its colonial workers cottages set amongst some very grand old homes, modern terraced townhouses and apartments and not much more than a stroll to the CBD. In late November/December Freeman's Bays' tree lined Franklin Road transforms into a Christmas Wonderland, with the beautiful old villas lavishly adorned in Christmas fairy lights ... people from all over Auckland come to look at and share in, this spectacular event.
Arch Hill is named due to its "natural features”. Most of the houses date from around the turn of the 20th century and many are small workers cottages or wooden villas; sections are often tiny and without off-street parking. Some light industrial commercial premises have replaced parts of the housing stock with one and two storey commercial properties and more recently apartment complexes have been built. Before the north-western motorway was built through the bottom of the suburb, known as Arch Hill Gully, in the 1960s and 70s, many of the streets running down from Great North Road linked up with those in Kingsland.
Freemans Bay is the name of a former bay, which was filled in to a considerable extent, with the reclamation area now totally concealing the ancient shoreline. Historically a poor and often disreputable quarter, it is now a comparatively wealthy and desirable neighbourhood known for its mix of heritage homes and more recent single-dwelling houses, as well as for its two large parks.
To the west of Ponsonby, lies Grey Lynn ... this diverse multicultural community of alternative lifestyles and creativity, is an energetic and spirited area with a cafe culture of its own. The annual Grey Lynn Park Festival with its distinct Pacific Island flavour draws crowds to enjoy markets, music, ethnic foods and much more. Grey Lynn was home to many early Auckland manufacturing businesses. The Sleepyhead Mattress factory and the old Summit Shirt Factory building are just two local examples, which have been redeveloped as New York loft style apartments.
St Mary's Bay is a small, intimate community spirited neighbourhood perched on the northern slopes boasting glorious views to Westhaven Marina, inner Waitemata Harbour and the CBD. Modern townhouses sit amongst some of the grandest of grand homes and early colonial villas most of which have been superbly renovated. Today although almost 100% gentrified, St Mary's Bay's past included brothels, abortion clinics, drug squats and illegal drinking dens!
Herne Bay is considered as one of Auckland's most exclusive suburbs with a number of homes currently valued in excess of $3million. During the late 1800's many of Auckland's early business leaders built grand Victorian residences on the north side, while on the southern side, Auckland's first developer mass built four avenues of villas. Jervois Road, known locally as 'Herne Bay Village' with its cafes, bars, restaurants and specialty retail shops is the hub that divides the northern slopes from 'the avenues' on the southern side. Of all the bays, Herne Bay is the only bay, which boasts its own small local beach.
Westmere was originally a working-class area, containing some state houses; mostly private housing originating from housing development in the 1920s. It is known for its Californian style bungalow architecture. It is now a highly sought after residential location with extensive redevelopment. Westmere is broadly bisected by Garnet Road and is bounded by Coxs Bay to the North and the green belt running from Western Springs, the Auckland Zoo and Western Springs College to the South and West.
