Korero

Minutes Tuesday 11 March 2025
7:30 –9:00 pm RSA Wairaka Rd

Attending: Paul FitzGerald, Margaret Blair, Ross Leggett, Judith Frost-Evans, Jane Comben, Nikky Winchester,
Apologies: Iain MacLean, Chris Kirk-Burnnand
Community members: Matt Hoffman (PCC Parks Team), Vic McGuigan (PCC Property Services), Ellie Tuckey, Kelly McLean

Last month’s minutes a true and accurate representation

Moved Paul / seconded Jane. All in favour. Carried.

Council updates

PCC
Plunket Rooms, Wairaka Road
Consultation went live 6 March as the Plunket Building needs something done with it. No budget to do the work needed to get it to a suitable standard. Submissions close 6 April with a hearing in June, decisions and deliberations in July.
With extra growth there might be scope for a community centre in the new development area.

This round of consultation is about should it remain or remove.
• A – Remove the building.
• B – If it remains is there a group to upgrade it.
• C – Or lease the empty site for something else.
What about a different model?
What if the cost of removal ($60,000) went towards a community effort to restore it (option B)
Feasibility process is needed into a community partnership, Ahu can apply for funding and we have skills in the bay (trades and architect). PKB doesn’t have a community space. School and Community Hall is currently a classroom.

E.g. Pop-up Parlour proved a need for a community space (especially for the arts). RSA not suitable for young children and no outside space.

The current Plunket building is on Parks area so uses are limited to local purpose community buildings. Can’t be commercial. Leasing process is set out in statute. PCC can issue a lease for certain activities but beyond that it would need negotiation.

Field out the back where playground is scenic reserve. Plunket land is gazetted as community use.

The property is in poor shape. If taken over by somebody else all the fire, sanitation, health codes need to be complied with. Role of plunket – they’re obliged to pay for removal under lease. Neighbours would need to be consulted.

If the building wasn’t there the council would consider a low level outdoor space. The library could do with more outdoor community space.

Ross
Wellington Water – PCC are focused on annual plan and 3 Waters Done Well (WDW).
WDW – 2 options
A- Another entity (similar to WW) that doesn’t own assets but able to deal with regulators (Water standards, etc)
B – Preferred option is 5 local councils (WCC, PCC HCC, UHCC, GWRC) would set up an entity that would be the asset owner of all the 3 water assets. Able to do borrowing etc. Different drivers that WW. All 3 waters debt would transfer too.

It will cost more but cheaper to go to option B.
There has been money invested in infrastructure but not so much on pipes.
Luckily Kainga Ora has done a lot of work related to development in Porirua East.

Consultation will be out soon.

Also there will be future consultation on a larger local government entity (like supercity) which could allow for economies of scale.

Consultation over on:
Freedom camping. Feedback to come.
Keeping of domestic animals – people concerned about cats (registered and chipped), numbers of chickens and bees

Renewal of our climate stategy
PCC looking at a refresh.

Bothamly Park – open again now sewer main is complete.

Spicer Landfill
Ongoing issue in terms of consenting. One of few things that makes money for council.
Issues with smells in Tawa. Working on those. Shifting tip face to help.
2030 need to go to resource consent to keep it open. It may close if there are issues.
This will cost to maintain once closed. If tip closes rubbish will need to be trucked elsewhere.
There is sludge waste from the treatment process which currently goes to Spicer.

With development growth what about the Construction and Demolition waste. There is equipment that is being sold to a private company to deal with it.

Rubbish Bin
Bin removed from Brendon Beach. Old one removed and new one placed. Then the new one was removed. Residents have asked for it to be reinstated. Litter is being left.

GWRC – None

Matters arising

Bus Shelter – No progress

Action Items.

Freedom Camping Submission – Paul spoke to our submission and noted the edge erosion

Financial report as at 8 March 2025

Finance Report to March 2025 Meeting  as at 8 March 2025
BNZ   		$11,601.15 
Income:		
$      10.93  	Interest
$    100.00	CGFF Tea Towels 
$  1140.00	Korero  Advert	

Expenditure:
   	
$ 		CGFF Rongoa
$    150.00	Isaac du Toit Progress Payment
$    678.50	Korero Printing
$    152.00	CGFF Irrigation supplies
   			

Invoices – Issued 
$  1620.00	Korero  (+$160 pending)
Invoices – Paid
$  1190.00	Korero
		  	
Account balances as at 8 March 2025
Res Assn 000    	$     462.58
He Ara 001		$       87.67
CGFF 002		$     483.21
Kōrero 066		$       61.77
Surf Seat 067	$     174.73
On Call Acct	025	$10,331.19	
					CGFF		$3000.00 On Hold
					CGFF		$  500.00  Payment
					He Ara	$5000.00  Donation
					Korero	$1700.00  On Hold
					Residents	$  131.19  Interest
BUDGETS  -  

Funding Applications schedule for 2025
Moved Paul / seconded Judith. All in favour. Carried

Correspondence

None

Project Updates

Community Garden & Food Forest

Plumbing
Brian sorted out the waterline.

Social gathering
Lenka to host a pot luck social in April.

Budget for RA
Judy has built on help from Yvonne. We talked through the proposed numbers.
We’ve allocated funds for insurance and printing costs for the calendars. Roughly we have enough for 3 years covering basic fixed costs. We’ll have a copy at the garden for Saturdays. Yvonne, said it would be good to monitor number of volunteer hours

We discussed the fact that the forecast expenses are budgets we each need to be conscious of and work within. This means the process of approving invoices on behalf of the CGFF needs to change. First of all the funds need to have been allocated. Secondly the expenses incurred need to be within the budget of the purpose for which they are spent. This will be overseen by the CGFF committee. Any spending outside these guidelines puts our forecasts at risk and means we will need to do further fundraising. Our key fund raising players (Jane and Gay) have requested a break from the many many hours of admin associated with e.g. printing a calendar, designing a tea towel. This will give them time to actually enjoy gardening! We have successfully raised thousands of dollars from a calendar and a tea towel with the 2026 calendar and Garden Trail set to raise more. Also we have received funds from the Tree Crop Association which required quite a bit of nursing through and admin (producing a booklet etc.).

We discussed the fact that if further Funding applications are successful (e.g. Pelorus for the Kiwi Rail fee) we will have more funds in the kitty and we can look at how these are best spent within the CGFF committee.

Encourage new helpers
How to encourage and keeping new volunteers. Make work day into an event like Strawberry Fair in the winter(e.g. shifting the platform). Natural printing workshop.

Rongoa
Judy and friends removed convolvulus, stakes to be named when Ara is back. We also will look on the info sheet.

Calendar and Trail – 9 Nov
Gay and Jane have visited all but 2 of the gardens to take photos. Designs are underway for finalising in July. The beach house will be penguin focused, and we have a crankie story. We have local experts. We can have a workshop making compost.

He Ara Report

• New Facebook story added: 𝗣𝘂𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝘂𝗺 𝗚𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗼𝗻 – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗴𝗽𝗶𝗽𝗲𝘀.
• Progress continuing with the Bevan story. Isaac has so far produced 12 illustrations
• Three of the He Ara team made a field trip to Waikawa as part of research for the Bevan story.
• A progress payment has been made to Isaac.
• He Ara provided the CGFF with photographs and stories for their Nobby Clark crankie project.
• More is being written about Lindsay Gray DFC.
• Up to 30 visitors a day are viewing He Ara Pukerua website
• He Ara would like a page in the next Korero for an ANZAC themed story.

Kōrero

Hutt Mana Trust Funding Application

Motion – Kōrero has the approval of the RA to apply for funding from Hutt Mana Charitable Trust for printing costs in the September 2025 grant round.
Moved Jane / seconded Nikky. All in favour. Carried

Climate Action Rōpū

School Gala
The Crop Swap, Recycling and possibly Predator Free Pukerua Bay Free will be at the School Gala.

General Business

a. Beach Signage
Penguins – Paul to follow up with Andrew.

Dog / beach use sign – Paul followed it up and heard nothing. Will follow up again.

Another year until dog bylaws for the whole city are reviewed.
We will submit again.

b. Pukerua Bay Developments Ltd (Muri Road Subdivision). Paul spoke with them. Finished tree felling, doing clearup. Will start on earthworks. Contractor Brian O’Sullivan is starting on the earthworks. There will be an entrance road from Muri Rd between 34 and 50 which is on the opposite side of Muri Road as Kahikatea

The access to the logging area will likely be turned into a section.
They’re planning to chip the slash. They going to see if letting the community get firewood would be feasible.

There will be traffic control when earth moving trucks are going in etc.

Paul will put this on the website and FB pages.

c. Bus Replacement bus route to go nearer the train station.
Paul got a response from Thomas Nash – he was sending it on to officials. Paul to follow up again.

Meeting ended 9.15pm