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Chair’s Report October 2023
This is the last report for 2023 ahead of the Eastbourne Community Board (ECB) meeting on Tuesday 31 October. The current Board is one year into its three-year term. It has been a busy year. We were reminded during a recent meeting with a panel reviewing local representation how fortunate Eastbourne is to have a Community Board, and one as hard-working and accessible as this Board is. I acknowledge the terrific contributions and mahi of Bruce Spedding, Murray Gibbons, Emily Keddell and Frank Vickers. The Board’s first public meeting in 2024 will be in February.
Eastbournes Awards
The ECB presents awards to individuals or organisations from Eastbourne who have had noteworthy achievements in the past year or have made a significant contribution to Eastbourne over a period of years. Four residents will receive awards presented by the Mayor at the ECB meeting on 31 October.
Butterfly Creek
Over a century of sustained foot traffic has caused root damage to beech trees at the Butterfly Creek picnic area, resulting in the death of 13 trees. Greater Wellington Regional Council is seeking ideas and suggestions about protecting and preserving Butterfly Creek and its beech trees. Residents can join Ranger Jo Greenman at 5:30 pm on October 31 at the East Harbour Women’s Club, 145 Muritai Road, (just before the ECB meeting) for an informal chat, or you can contact Jo by email: EastHarbour.Ranger@gw.govt.nz.
Community Engagement Fund
The Community Board received four applications for the October 2023 round of funding. The successful applications will be announced at the meeting on 31 October.
Cat bylaws
The Board made a submission in support of the proposed changes to the Control of Animals Bylaw about keeping cats. The proposals include compulsory microchipping and desexing of cats. This is an important issue for Eastbourne given our proximity to the Northern Forest and important Banded Dotterel nesting areas. The ECB also requested that Council follow the lead of other Councils and impose a maximum number of cats per household too. Residents can make a submission by email to policy@huttcity.govt.nz by 6 November.
District Plan
Look out for Council’s draft District Plan that will be released for feedback soon.
Tupua Horo Nuku
The shared path and resilience project continues to make visible progress at Mā-Koromiko. The project team will present another update at the ECB meeting on 31 October. The Board looks forward to seeing designs for York Bay and Lowry Bay and for the proposed Bishop Park bird protection area and revised plans for the Whiorau Reserve bird protection area. The bird protection areas are required as part of the consent conditions for the Tupua Horo Nuku project.
Point Howard slip
Board members attended a recent meeting of the Point Howard residents impacted by the works to repair the road at the slip on Howard Road. There is limited vehicle and pedestrian access during the six weeks of repairs. We acknowledge the work of the Point Howard Residents Association, especially its role in communicating with Council and residents.
Fire danger over summer
Fire & Emergency NZ is warning of an increased fire danger this summer. The onset of El Niño will bring average to above average temperatures and normal to below normal rainfall for the Wellington Region. NIWA advises in their seasonal climate outlook for October to December that seasonal wind speeds are expected to be much stronger than normal and soil moisture levels and river flows are about equally likely to be below normal or near normal. These factors combine to elevate fire risk. Eastbourne’s hillside is especially vulnerable, for example, to beach fires that aren’t properly extinguished. We can expect to see safety campaigns nearer to summer and potentially a total fire ban.
Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy
In response to questions from residents, the ECB asked for clarification about Council’s draft Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy and any relationship with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) proposal that Hutt City Council consulted residents on in 2017/2018: The previous consultation related to a proposed change to the District Plan to include SNA mapping and associated statutory provisions in the District Plan. This plan change was not progressed, and Council decided to stop work on SNAs until the release of the National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity. The purpose of the draft Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy is to set out a framework of directions and measures for how Council can protect and restore Indigenous Biodiversity across the city. It looks at a range of measures, both regulatory and non-regulatory. The District Plan is only one of these measures. Note that the Government has recently released the National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity, which sets out clear requirements and timeframes for Councils to identify and protect SNAs through their district plans. This will be a separate piece of work from the current consultation on the Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy. The District Plan team will be getting in touch with landowners of potential SNAs as part of the District Plan review process.
Other
- Bike skills park: The ECB has requested Council approval that will allow the community to install a basic bike skills park near the Wahine Memorial. We acknowledge the support of the Menzshed team for this project.
- MIRO bait storage: The ECB is grateful to Council for providing MIRO with new space for bait storage.
- Swimming pool hours: Board members met with residents about extending the number of days the Eastbourne Pool is open over summer. Council budget restrictions mean that it is likely the community will need to find alternative solutions to make this happen. The ECB is keen to support this.
- Williams Park: Revised plans for the areas in Williams Park where the caretaker's house was, will be presented to the ECB at the next meeting.
- Historic police cell: The Board has submitted a proposal to Council for the historic police prison building currently stored near the Williams Park duck pond, to be refurbished and moved to the village.
Communication
One of the Board’s roles is communicating relevant matters, proposals, consultations, and issues with residents. We do this through our Facebook page (737 followers), the eastbourne.nz website, our email list (220+ subscribers), our regular column in the Eastbourne Herald, and the digital display board at the library.
Residents can also contact Board members directly:
Belinda Moss 22 October 2023 |
The Butterfly Creek Picnic Area in the Northern Forest, East Harbour Regional Park, faces an issue with its historic beech trees. 