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Eastbourne Community Board Chair’s Report August 2026
Amalgamation
Despite all the other events over the last few weeks probably the most important issue facing the community is the HeadStart Pathway to local government reform through amalgamation of city, district and regional councils into unitary authorities.. Labelled as a “voluntary” process, the alternative is to have the government impose reorganisation so there’s a strong imperative to exercise at least some control over the future representation and governance of our region. A unitary authority in New Zealand is a single local government body that performs the duties of both a territorial authority (managing local roads, water, and building consents) and a regional council (handling environmental management, civil defense, and public transport).
Following various consultations the Hutt City Council has proposed a 20 member authority to represent over half a million residents, with some powers devolved to “community councils” (former city councils). This proposal is a draft only, the final agreed plan must be submitted to government by August 9 (i.e. will have happened by the time you read this). Following on from the not so distant battle to retain our community representation this could be another test of having some control over our identity and community voice. More information on the proposal is available on the Hutt City website https://www.huttcity.govt.nz/council/local-government-amalgamation and on our community website https://eastbourne.nz. You can also subscribe to our email newsletter which will include updates.
Note: This report was written several days ago. Things have have moved on so check online for the latest state pf play. See also the Democracy Advisors report in the agenda.
Norfolk Island Pines
During recent winds an Eastbourne 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.
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
Community Survey
The last Eastbourne Community Survey was carried out in 2014, with the completion of the Eastern Bays shared walk/cycle way clearly the most important issue with concern about climate change and extreme weather events next. 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. With the completion of this stage of the share pathway we feel it’s appropriate to repeat the survey and identify community concerns and priorities. Our intention is to circulate the survey via the Eastbourne Herald (for maximum coverage) with the option to complete online if preferred. This will happen in September or October. You can find the 2014 survey here, ( https://eastbourne.nz/survey2026 ) and we will update progress on this on the website as well. We welcome input into topics to be added to the survey. You can contact any board member or use our website https://eastbourne.nz/contact-us/
Eastbourne.nz website
This website was created to provide a source of information and updates relevant to Eastbourne and the bays. It has recently been migrated to a new server to make it more available. If you visit the site and have any issues, please let us know. We also maintain a digital noticeboard in the library window, have email news subscriptions (register on the website) as well as our column in the Eastbourne Herald. Our goal is to reach as many members of our community as possible, so if you have suggestions, please contact us.
Bruce Spedding 30/7/2026 |
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