June 2018 Residents’ Association meeting minutes

(DRAFT)

Tuesday 12 June 2018

Present: Iain MacLean, Jonathan Harker, June Penhey, Paul FitzGerald, Brian Sullivan, David Olsen, Beccy Davis, Dale Williams (PCC). Community: Mel Galletly.

Apologies: Pauline Morse, Guy Marriage, Jenny Brash (GWRC).

Approval of previous minutes: moved Paul, seconded Brian, carried.

Matters Arising

Ocean Parade beach erosion: Barbara raised it at GWRC and would like to come and talk to residents.

Wairaka Road garden: NZTA have agreed that replanting would be done by the end of June.

Heritage trail: the He Ara Pukerua walk-and-talk was successful, plenty of people turned out on the day. It was covered in the paper. Well done all round!

Financial

The school was paid $500 for calendar sales. Balances:

$570.53

$2386.28 fundraising account

Correspondence

Latest Neighbourhood Support Group newsletter.

Jenny Brash: succeeded in transport rate decision, but over 6 years. Flood protection remains as is.

From Metlink: about the bus-stop shelter, will not use the old KiwiRail Muri Station shed because it doesn’t meet newer safety standards and expense of maintenance.

Porirua City Council update

Ara Harakeke footpath from shops to Wairaka Road: of four designs, one is preferred, with organ piles and timber lagging, pending NZTA approval. Once approved it will go out to tender. The shared pathway project is being accommodated through the ENGEO design process using the plans previously developed by Stantec in preparation of this project. PCC have recently obtained approval to carry forward the current-year budget allocation to 2018/19.

Muri Road safety work (2016/17 year project): Downer still haven’t completed the project items: outstanding flax removal, finish re-grading the bank above and below the new pedestrian path, replace a section of damaged concrete kerb, drain the natural spring on the corner bank away from the path instead of over the track, and install the outstanding ‘wash-over’ pad. PCC met with Downer on 17 May to review progress and were given an assurance that the work will be completed by 30 June. North Power has connected power to the two street lights.

Muri Reserve / Te Araroa Trail way-finding signs: John Craig from the Te Araroa Trail Trust has now completed a final walk-through to confirm the sign locations, size and proposed content. Some signs were identified that could be removed from the project scope in order to fit the current budget. PCC understands the Residents Association is comfortable to proceed on this basis. Te Araroa Trail Trust has agreed to assume ownership and ongoing liability for the signs.

Community garden (food forest): PCC have received the amended plan for this winter, and will work out the cost.

Heritage trail (part 2): The ‘uncovering’ ceremony for the heritage bollards was held on Saturday 19 May and included a community litter pick along the walkway. Kenepuru Engineers have now completed the stainless steel inserts for the large signs, as well as the skinks for all the signs, and these are ready to be picked up. This and the four bollard signs will complete the current-year budget this project. We have approached NZTA on your behalf to arrange permission to install a heritage bollard adjacent to SH1 to mark the ‘tank trap’ at the northern end of Pukerua Bay.

Village Planning get Together on 12 May: It was great to see some of you at the Village Planning get together on Saturday. Council hopes you found Dr Ryan Reynolds’ presentation as inspirational and challenging as we did. Thank you too for your Pukerua Bay project update.

Village Planning project request process (2018/19): Thank you for submitting your preliminary project requests for 2018/19. We look forward to discussing these with you in the next few weeks.

SH1 Pedestrian Refuge by public toilets: Construction has now started on the pedestrian refuge opposite the public toilets and this will be completed within the next two weeks.

SH1 Noise from trucks engine braking: PCC have passed the residents survey information on to their Roading and Bylaws teams and NZTA. Council anticipate this feedback may result in the installation of further ‘no engine breaking’ signs.

Question regarding plastics recycling

Beccy: regarding plastics recycling, in light of China no longer accepting plastics waste imports, what is PCC doing long-term about plastics recycling, and where does curb-side recycling go?

Dale: PCC and other councils have a waste minimisation strategy. Contracts for sorted plastics, paper and glass are reviewed every 3 years. Very difficult market in recycled feedstock and products in NZ, most of it is stockpiled.

School Hall

Board of Trustees have had concerns since last year around the community hall. They are meeting on Thursday night with the Hall Committee in preparation for reviewing their hall policy. Under the arrangement that has existed since the hall was built in 1973, the school has exclusive use of the hall during school hours, and outside school hours it is the community hall, and the hall committee manages the bookings for it then. BoT has concerns about the running of the hall and their legal responsibilities, e.g. Sale of Liquor Act, Vulnerable Children Act, and Safety and Health in Work Act, and want to take over complete control of the hall to reduce these risks.

In 1973 the community hall committee was established by a deed agreed between the Wellington Board of Education and (at the time) Hutt Council. This was re-drawn in 1990 with PCC. The legal ownership of the hall transferred to the school following Tomorrow’s Schools reforms in the 1980s. The Hall Committee has been part of the Residents Association since 2015, and this was ratified by BoT in the current policy at the time. In August 2017, the MoE property manager appeared to find no problem with the agreement (according to comments made at a meeting between the BoT and hall committee).

There are three issues to be discussed:

  1. BoT isn’t happy with the shared management arrangement set out in the original 1973 Deed, which in reflected in the current policy;

  2. Nobody knows where the money earned over many years and which was transferred to the school’s account in 2009 has gone;

  3. BoT’s concern around health & safety, and liability.

Motion:

The Pukerua Bay Residents’ Association opposes the Pukerua Bay School Board of Trustee’s plan to unilaterally take over the management of the community/school hall and to exclude the community from any active involvement in it. The Committee instructs the Chair to write to the Board of Trustees tonight with an offer to work constructively with the Board to develop a hall policy that maintains the community’s involvement and addresses the Board’s concerns about its liabilities. We want to know from the Board:

  1. Information about the spending of the hall fund money;

  2. What advice they have received on which they have based their decision to withdraw from the partnership arrangement with the community.

If the Board does not accept our offer to help them develop a mutually satisfactory policy, the Residents Association will discuss the board’s plans with the community. We insist the Board consults with the wider Pukerua Bay community about its proposed change to the management of the hall.

Proposed Iain, seconded Paul, none opposed.

Engine braking

Results in from the online survey show 69 responses within 10 days. Most were very concerned about engine braking noise, especially the northern parts of Pukerua Bay. 88% of respondents could hear engine braking, 70% of respondents were adversely affected, 98% of which would support a by-law. NZTA will put up signs and choose the location once PCC establish need. PCC have sent these results to NZTA for approval. Recommendations: 1. New sign at the northern end, 2. relocate the southern one, 3. additional reminder sign in the middle of the town.

Village Plan bids

Meeting on Wednesday 20 June with PCC village plan staff. Communities can wither without ways for people to connect together. Pukerua Bay has limited opportunities outside the school. Hub would like to engage PCC around opportunities, ideas and funding these initiatives.

Other business

Taupō Swamp: Presented by Mike Jebson, CEO Queen Elizabeth 2 National Trust. Taupō Swamp, owned by the trust, was purchased for the benefit of the people of New Zealand by an act of Parliament. Predator control, weeding, and planting operations are supported by PCC. The trust intends to establish a Friends of Taupō Swamp society. Launch an event in spring, invite Forest & Bird, public, etc. Eventually build a walkway similar to the Pauatahanui inlet.

Mobile coffee kiosk: (Mel) Day’s Bay Cafe folks are interested in a new opportunity. Talks on-going.

Noticeboard: a new one for outside the shops is being built, and should be up soon.

Meeting closed: 9.55 pm

Next meeting: 10 July 2018

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