Eastbourne Community Board

As expected, the ECB has had a busy start to the year. I acknowledge the ongoing support and incredible work ethic from Board members Frank Vickers (Deputy Chair), Murray Gibbons, Emily Keddell, Bruce Spedding and Tui Lewis. Point Howard slip: The Point Howard Residents Association, led by Allison Gandy, plays a significant role in liaising with Council and Wellington Water and communicating with residents following the significant slip event on 14 March. This demonstrates the importance of active, well-connected resident associations in the Eastern Bays and is a reminder of how vulnerable many areas of Eastbourne residents can be. The ECB’s Bruce Spedding continues to focusRead More →

(originally published in the Eastbourne Herald February 2023). More information on Eastbourne Civil Defence and Emergency Preparedness. As demonstrated so graphically in the latest weather events, the official emergency and support services may not be able to respond to every issue and will have to prioritise. This is especially true of the Eastern Bays as we are easily isolated and represent a small part of Hutt City. This means communities like ours will have to pitch in and look after each other. The most important thing is to keep up to date and informed. The failure of virtually all forms of communication and power haveRead More →

Eastern Bays Climate Response Network

Report from Eastbourne and Bays Climate Response Meeting 16/11/22 The climate network is off to a great start. We now have 63 members, a wealth of information and projects set up to carry on into the new year. At the first meeting only a month ago a number of people volunteered to gather information or form a group to work on a particular issue. Here’s what happened!!! (this report is also available for download) Eastbourne Community Board – the creation of this network was facilitated by the EastbourneCommunity Board which will host the website, manage the contact list and pay some costs such as theRead More →

GROUP REPORTS FROM CLIMATE MEETING Find out more about the Climate Response Network We had a really positive inaugural meeting of the Eastern Bays Climate Network. It was great to see so many people engaging with people they had never met and the enthusiasm for positive action. I have attached the full list of ideas so those who were unable to come can see what was canvassed so far. If there is anything on the list you would like to become involved in let me know and maybe other groups will develop. * Meeting Wednesday November 16  St Ronan’s Hall – after that we may not meetRead More →

The recent Climate Change Response meeting featured presentations including one by Belinda Storey talking about the impact on insurance of climate change. This topic is also covered by this item / podcast and worth a listen. Emma Vitz, an actuary who specialises in natural perils and climate-based risk, talks to The Detail about the work she does, and how this crucial, global industry is approaching the known-unknowns of climate change.  Read More →

4 phases of climate change response - Avoid Protect Accommodate Retreat

At the recent Eastern Bays Climate Change Response meeting Belinda Storey of Climate Sigma spoke about the impacts of climate change on insurance, and what insurance providers response tell us about what to expect. This article in Stuff  – Homes to start losing access to insurance within 15 years – report,  is just one of many that are now appearing in the media, telling us about what to expect in the future. Radio NZ also features a warning – Building in flood-prone locations needs to stop, insurer IAG says If you want to stay informed on this issue with respect to the Eastern bays youRead More →

Sea breaking over road with logo

On Wednesday 3rd August 2022 we hosted an information meeting to get a community perspective on how climate change and specifically sea level rise will impact the Eastern Bays, and start the discussion on how to respond. With an attandance of over 100 locals, councillors and officers the evening featured a range of information, some global but mostly looking at the local impacts. It included insights into how risks are viewed and may be managed, how we must respond to what is inevitable as well as act to restrict the extremity of what could happen. We had 4 presentations from experts covering various aspects ofRead More →

4 phases of climate change response - Avoid Protect Accommodate Retreat

Ministry of Environment have released the National adaptation plan which aims to support all New Zealanders to adapt, live and thrive in a more damaging climate. Included in the information is Climate change and communities:what the national adaptation plan means for you – The plan outlines a programme of work to support communities to better understand the climate impacts that affect them and adapt to build their resilience. The Eastern Bays Climate Response Network is our way of responding to this challenge. This was initiated at a meeting hosted by the Eastbourne Community Board and featured expert speakers on the various areas of critical interestRead More →

ECB in conjunction with HCC and Eastbourne Library are trialing an electronic noticeboard to provide an alternative information source for those who don’t use social networks. This trial is running in the window of the library and contains a series of screens with community information, including some information which will update automatically such as weather forecasts. Projects, events, services and other information will be featured, and we are keen to get feedback on what the community would find useful. Send us your thoughts here.Read More →

Sea level rise is a real issue for Eastbourne – the recently released mapping system highlights not only the levels of sea level rise we can expect, but also the compounding effect of geololgical sinking, we are going down while the sea is coming up. TVNZ news report (Eastbourne features in second video) The Searise mapping system can be accessed here  Read More →

In 2014 the Eastbourne Community Board conducted a survey of Eastbourne and the Bays to gauge the wellbeing and satisfaction of the residents and to identify issues of importance to the community. The information gathered in the survey could then be used to guide the Board in representations to Hutt City Council and to provide data that could be referred to in the event of any regional amalgamation. The data from the survey could be used by individuals, community groups and businesses to make Eastbourne’s voice heard in a larger government structure. Questions in the survey were designed to find out the priority residents placedRead More →

You may have seen or heard that the NZ SeaRise: Te Tai Pari O Aotearoa programme has released location specific sea level rise projections out to the year 2300 for every 2 km of the coast of Aotearoa New Zealand. Following delays due to covid and also waiting while HCC group consulted and gathered info on what’s actually being done locally the Eastbourne Community Board will be initiating / organizing community meetings so that we can understand future sea level rise scenarios for Eastbourne and the Bays and work together to respond. Eastbourners are a capable, resilient lot. We love where we live. We canRead More →

Eastbourne has dramatic weather being situated adjacent to Wellington Harbour and Cook Strait. Access via the coastal road can be closed by high seas and it’s important to check conditions when the weather is bad. The coast road out to Pencarrow can also be dangerous in storm conditions. The communities are squashed into the hills, so flooding can also occur, and strong winds are always possible. The harbour must be treated with respect, with rapid and dramatic weather changes always possible, so always check the forecast and tides, and make sure to be safely prepared when venturing out onto the water. Centerport has wind metersRead More →

Tupua Horo Nuku Eastern Bays Shared Path

The Eastern Bays shared path is a 4.4 kilometre walking and cycling path to be built along Marine Drive between Ngau Matau (Point Howard) and Eastbourne. It will be called Tupua Horo Nuku, a name that evokes the narrative of the Tupua, Ngake, one of the two creators of the Harbour in traditional Māori narrative. The name was gifted to the project by Te Atiawa Taranaki Whānui, as part of the partnership between iwi and Hutt City Council. We are preparing for the construction stage of the project. Work is due to start in the southern portion in Mid-2022. Go to the Hutt City projectRead More →