What is the Eastbourne Community Board, and what does it do for Eastbourne?

Community boards, like the Eastbourne Community Board (ECB), play a crucial role in promoting community wellbeing. They ensure better representation and promote stronger community wellbeing. There are approximately 110 community boards in Aotearoa, three of which are in Hutt City.
Community board members are elected during local body elections. The (ECB) comprises five Eastbourne residents and the Harbour Ward Councillor.
The ECB is a voice for local issues and needs. It makes submissions on council policies and decisions and provides information from the Council to the community through its Facebook page, the eastbourne.nz website, our email list, our regular column in the Eastbourne Herald, and the digital display board at the library.
The ECB has an important role in making Eastbourne a wonderful place to live.

A voice for local issues and needs

The ECB regularly submits to Council, speaks at hearings and Council meetings, and informs Eastbourne residents about consultations important to our community. During this term, we have made submissions on the District Plan, Long Term Plan, dog access areas, cat control, design aspects of the Tupua Horo Nuku project, bird protection areas, traffic speed reviews, and others.
The ECB’s regular public meetings (sample here) allow residents to speak to the Council officers about issues and opportunities and to hear updates from Hutt City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council.
The ECB is committed to helping our community understand and navigate Council’s processes. We take a proactive approach to addressing community needs, as demonstrated by our support for parents in securing a safer double-decker bus service and our backing of kindergarten parents in their successful campaign for a new shelter at the bus stop.
We support and advocate for community groups, including MIRO, the youth group, the Historical Society and the Eastern Bays resident associations.
The ECB ensures the community is represented in relevant processes and discussions. For example, we are working with Council and the Eastbourne Bowls Club to find a suitable new location for the club.

Helping to make Eastbourne a wonderful place to live

It is doubtful the Tupua Horo Nuku resilience and shared path project would have gone ahead without the ECB’s efforts over the last 10 years. The project started when an ECB survey in 2016 identified a shared path as a priority for Eastbourne residents. Now that the project is underway, the ECB has an important role liaising with residents, the Council, and the project team about many of the design and implementation aspects of the project and consent conditions.
The ECB led the project to install the mosaics in Eastbourne village, the Greenwood Park redevelopment, the Historic Trail and the current move to install the historic jail near Rona Wharf. It supported the skateboard ramp and is developing a junior cycle skills park at Burdan’s Gate.
The Board supports recycling efforts by operating the battery and tetrapak collections at the Eastbourne Community Hub (Library).
The ECB engages with and supports Eastbourne businesses, recognising their services are important to the community.
The ECB is working with Council and volunteers to find ways to extend the summer pool season.
This year, the ECB led a resilience expo that brought many emergency and resilience services to Eastbourne so residents could learn about and discuss emergency plans and preparedness.
Each year the ECB presents Eastbourne Awards to residents who have made a significant positive impact on our community. Nearly 50 residents have received awards since 2007.
The ECB distributes around $2,500 each year for community initiatives through the Community Engagement Fund.

For more information and how to submit go to https://eastbourne.nz/proposal-to-disestablish-community-boards-representation-review-and-survey/