Neighbourhood Support

Register for Greater Wellington Neighbourhood Support

By joining now, you will:

Have your say on Riverlink

Have you been watching progress with Riverlink recently? It's certainly moving ahead. That said, the disruption and change can be frustrating for many; we hear that a lot too. For some, comprehending the progress and the outcome is hard right now. The prize will be an awesome interchange and flood resilience of a high standard. The underground work currently underway will also deliver a robust facility for the future. In the interim, some of the decisions may seem ludicrous, though even then, some are for good reason.

The Chamber wants to hear your thoughts, concerns, and challenges. Contact me at Christine@hvchamber.org.nz. We know it can feel like your voice gets lost in a project this size, so we're keen to listen and help pass on feedback.

NOTIFICATION OF POLE WORKS IN RIMU STREET

Dear Resident/Business,

This letter is to advise you that Connetics will be in your area as part of our project to remove pillar and install a new one as part of Wellington Electricity’s maintenance program.

Work will occur outside 21 Rimu Street and is scheduled to commence anytime from 10/08/2026 to 31/08/2026 between the hours of 9am and 3pm and 9pm to 5am.

These dates and times allow for any unforeseen delays as due to the nature of our work there are occasions where we may run unexpectedly over time as our work is highly hazardous and weather dependent. Noise at night will be keep to the minimum to complete work. During this work, traffic management will be in place appropriate for the site to protect road users, public and workers safety, with full approval gained from the Road Corridor Manager at your Local Council. Where possible, restriction of vehicle access will be kept to a minimum and will be monitored by traffic management personnel.

This work is expected to take two days between the stated dates inclusive of final reinstatement to Local Council and National Code requirements. We do ask for your patience as this work is highly critical to the Network integrity and we thank you for your co-operation during this time. 

Please note, any residents directly affected by a power outage will receive a separate notification letter from Connetics prior to works. Should you require any further information, please contact Connetics during business hours (7.30am-4pm) on (04) 570 5710 or email WellingtonConnetics@connetics.co.nz

Yours sincerely, Brendan Drysdale, Project Manager, Connetics Ltd, E: brendan.drysdale@connetics.co.nz

Bird flu

Bird flu finally surfaced in New Zealand, and locally on Petone Beach. We have been alerted by MPI and you may have seen people in hi-viz patrolling our beach. This message from MPI:

Heading outdoors? Be alert and use good habits to limit the impact

Bird flu could affect our wild birds, marine mammals and game birds.

We can all use good habits to limit the impact.

Keep your distance

Stay away from sick or dead birds. Keep pets away too.

The best way to give sick wildlife a chance to recover is to leave them alone. Approaching wildlife can be stressful to them and can make their condition worse.

• Don’t touch or move sick or dead wildlife.
• Ensure that dogs stay away from dead or recovering wildlife.
• If out hunting, don’t allow your dogs to collect sick birds, or pick up birds that are already found dead.
• Dead wildlife can carry diseases that can make people and pets sick. Avoid contact with any dead animals.

Keep clean

• Wash your hands and clean your gear after being outdoors.
• When travelling between wildlife spots, ensuring that your gear, clothing and footwear are clean. This will help reduce the spread of diseases between populations.

When hunting:

• Wash any clothes that have been in contact with birds between hunting trips.
• Take care when cleaning birds. Practise good hand hygiene and don’t eat, drink, or put anything in your mouth while handling harvested birds. 

Know how to report

• People heading outdoors are valuable eyes on the ground.
• The most obvious sign of bird flu is the sudden or unexpected death of multiple birds or marine mammals in a group.
• If you see three or more sick or dead wild birds, marine mammals or other wildlife, report it.
• Call the exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66 or https://eastbourne.nz/birdflu 

Norfolk Island Pines

During recent winds anEastbourne resident reported a near-miss when a sizeable branch fell of a Norfolk Island Pine near St. Ronan’s Church on Muritai Road. narrowly missing the resident and her child. Fortunately no one was hurt, and fortunately the resident reported this incident following some research into these trees which highlighted potential safety issues. 

The Eastbourne Community Board referred this event to the Hutt City Council, and the HCC commissioned a report into the trees. This comprehensive report details the processes, the assessment of risk, and gives recommendations in terms of remedial work as well as future assessment. The full report is also available on our website.

Tupua Horo Nuku Sunshine Bay to Days Bay Transition Proposal

Following a significant amount of feedback on the safety of the Tupua Horo Nuku shared path transition into Days Bay council officers proposed a design to make the corner safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Following brief consultation this was modified and presented to the Community Board at the June meeting. We were given a few days to provide feedback on the  proposed changes, and this has now been accepted by the council.

The proposal has two stages. The first stage covers the section between the current end of the pathway to the beginning of the boardwalk. This will be implemented soon. The second stage is the replacement of the boardwalk section and a transition to the Eastern side of the road opposite Wellesley. The details of this have yet to be finalised and will need to be funded.

Various concerns have been raised about stage two, including whether the boardwalk replacement will be another cantilevered solution (at road level) or a continuation of the seawall, and the desire by locals to retain the current beach (and access) below the current boardwalk. The council are aware of many concerns, and hopefully will consult on these when designs are drafted.

The final “missing” section through Days Bay is also topical, with many suggestions on possible solutions - we expect there to be some consultation on this in the future as well.

Local business development 

The completion of Tupua Horo Nuku ( to it’s current state) has thrown a light on possible business opportunities. HCC have recently merged two bylaws covering public places into a single Public Places Bylaw. We hope to get some local coverage of this as we have been approached to help with local businesses applying for permission to trade. One of the delegations for the ECB is in this area, and we feel that Eastbourne should take the initiative in this, support our local businesses, and try to maintain our local character at the same time. There is a business group in Eastbourne which tends to come together when an issue or opportunity arises. There is also the  Eastbourne Business Group on Facebook, a way to share news, updates, ideas and offers. The ECB posts here quite often to alert owners and operators to various events intended to assist businesses in the Hutt Valley. We also have a business email newsletter (occasional) which you can join - it currently has 80+ subscribers (sign up on https://eastbourne.nz/newsletter/)

Community Patrol

The recent spate of thefts, particularly vehicle wheels, has raised the issue of greater security in our community. Marni Stevenson has taken the initiative on this and organised speakers from Petone Community Patrol and NZ Police Crime Prevention. Those attending were informed on what is involved in being a patrol member, specifically being a visible presence and reporting anything of interest (no intervention). We were also told what would be required to set up a separate affiliated Community Patrol in Eastbourne, starting with an incorporated society. The recommendation was for any interested community members to get involved with the Petone patrol and get familiar with the processes and commitments required. It was also indicated that if Eastern Bays people got involved they would have the option to patrol in the bays when on duty (the Petone Patrol already travel to Wainuiomata). The community could then make an informed decision on staying with Petone or forming a separate group. Cameras and monitoring were also discussed. The Community Board will continue to support this initiative and keep the community informed.

Recycling

There is a strong recycling ethic in our community which is great. St. Ronan’s Church have added TetraPak recycling to their services in addition to batteries. These are accessible 24 hours a day to complement the battery and TetraPak recycling in the Eastbourne Library, operated by the HCC and Eastbourne Lions respectively. We try to keep up to date with recycling options here  https://eastbourne.nz/recycling - please let us know if there are any errors or omissions.

• Bruce Spedding (Chair)  Bruce.Spedding@huttcity.govt.nz Ph 021 029 74741
• Murray Gibbons Murray.Gibbons@huttcity.govt.nz Ph 04 562 8567
• Emily Keddell Emily.Keddell@huttcity.govt.nz Ph 021 188 5106
• Jeremy Chaston (Deputy Chair) Jeremy.Chaston@huttcity.govt.nz 027 515 5571
• Ben Hainsworth Ben.Hainsworth@huttcity.govt.nz 022 584 2248
• Tui Lewis (Harbour Ward Councillor) Tui.Lewis@huttcity.govt.nz Ph 021 271 6249

News, events, community information and lots more on https://eastbourne.nz/ (if you don't find what you are looking for let us know).

You can forward this to someone if they would like to  join the Eastbourne Community Newsletters including this one, or the Eastern Bays Climate Response Network and/or subscribe to the email updates