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Eastbourne Community Board Chair’s Report – June 2026
Opening of Te Ara Tupua and celebration of Tupua Horo Nuku
The opening of Te Ara Tupua (Petone to Ngauranga - Resilience project and shared path) has happened and has been widely applauded, by both walkers and cyclists. We can look forward to a new phase in active mode commuting and tourism around the harbour. The same weekend we finally had the celebrations we missed on the opening of Tupua Horo Nuku (Eastern Bays Resilience project and shared path), with lots for kids to do in Williams Park. The Community Board were present, and gave away bike bells to anyone who asked (we’ve distributed nearly 200 so far) as well as collecting community feedback. There was some really useful input which has been passed on to the council.
Petone Foreshore
Not as prominent as the two projects above, but important none the less, the work done on the Petone Foreshore has connected the two sides of the harbour well, making the whole circuit of the harbour exceptional. There are still bottlenecks, especially the Waione Street bridge, but with the other improvements completed the focus and justification for closing the remaining gaps is stronger than ever.
Seaview Marina
Another “gap” is the transition through the marina. We have provided input into improving this section and hope to see some changes soon. The goal is to make the route safer and easier while preserving the marina experience and supporting the businesses on site.
Sunshine Bay to Days Bay - the missing link.
Not surprisingly, the “completion” of the path (yes there are still details and work) brought the missing link into prominence, with comments and suggestions on social media, emails and in person. Thanks to all those who provided constructive feedback. We are working with council to make the corner safer, and working towards extending path around the boardwalk section into the bay. The transition through the bay itself has thrown up many suggestions and hopefully will be open for public discussion in the near future.
2026 ECB Walkaround
We recently had our annual walkaround to talk to bays residents about local concerns. Thank for the support, we will be collating the issues and suggestions to pass on to HCC and GWRC where appropriate and will share these with those concerned. Access on and off the new path, stormwater management and traffic safety on the hill roads seem to be the main themes. Thanks to Ben Hainsworth for organising this, and Murray Gibbons for arranging transport. Let Ben know if you have anything to add ( Ben.Hainsworth@huttcity.govt.nz ).
Burdan’s Gate pump track
Jeremy Chaston has reported on progress in the latest Eastbourne Herald, including a concept design. Jeremy is also keen to see new events which make use of the new shared paths, so contact him if you have ideas. ( Jeremy.Chaston@huttcity.govt.nz )
Gollan’s Valley
Interest is growing on the future of Gollans Valley, with residents keen to share ideas and get involved. You can join MIRO (miro.org.nz) or register with Harbour to Headlands (h2h.kiwi.nz). We have been getting feedback on future possibilities and are working to have more public information and engagement available soon.
Heritage Trail Jail and trail extensions
Murray Gibbons has drafted up a new concept for the historic jail location at Rona Bay Wharf as part our heritage trail, and is also exploring extending the current Heritage Trail around the bays along the new path. With many new stops along the way the opportunity for historic and cultural information is extensive. Contact Murray ( Murray.Gibbons@huttcity.govt.nz )
The Loft
Dropping attendance at The Loft has led to closure in it’s current form. Led by Emily Keddell the Community Board explored new options for youth engagement last year, and we are hoping to find a way forward in conjunction with the Eastbourne Youth Worker Trust who supported the Loft and are also in favour of continuing in some form if possible. ( Emily.Keddell@huttcity.govt.nz )
Community Resilience and Emergency Management
New Zealand is currently experiencing extreme weather events and severe storms at an unprecedented frequency of roughly once every 8 days. A priority for the community and the Community Board is resilience, and we are exploring several options to improve the preparedness and planning in this context.
We currently have two Emergency Water Stations in the bays, one in Lowry Bay, the other in Days Bay. These are intended to provide some of our community water needs in the event of a disaster disrupting our normal supply, but only after about 8 days (we are expected to be self supporting until then).
Tiaki Wai (Wellington Water) are planning to run a training session later in the year to enable the community to operate these ourselves, so we will be looking for volunteers from both these bays but also one or two from other areas as well, so if you are interested, please get in touch. We are also looking to re-establish a civil defence group in Eastbourne itself. Most of the bays have designated people or groups and a plan through their formal or informal Residents Associations, but Eastbourne currently does not. If you are interested in being involved please contact me ( Bruce.Spedding@huttcity.govt.nz ).
Community Survey
As noted previously, we are planning to update our Community Survey, last completed in 2014. We have already received suggestions on community priorities for the next 10 years but are keen to hear more. In 2014 respondents were asked to rank their three top issues and also to identify the single most important issue for them. The completion of the Eastern Bays shared walk/cycle way was clearly the most important issue (number one for 33 percent of respondents) with concern about climate change and extreme weather events next (16 percent of respondents). Safety in the community, clean seas for swimming and quality public transport were also highly ranked. A number of other local issues were also identified. Full 2014 survey and contact details ( Eastbourne.nz/Survey2026 )
Bruce Spedding
June 2026 |
A public forum opportunity is available 30 minutes before the meeting (6:45pm to 7:15pm) – this is not public comment (see below), but an opportunity for informal discussion. The public cannot speak (unless invited to do so) during the formal part of the meeting, other than during the public comment section.
Included in the agenda is 
