Waihī Beach Community Board Meeting Minutes

27 February 2023

   MINUTES OF Western Bay of Plenty District Council
Waihī Beach Community Board Meeting No. WBC23-2
HELD IN THE Waihī Beach Community Centre, 106 Beach Road, Waihī Beach
ON Monday, 27 February 2023 AT 6.30pm

1               Present

Chairperson R Goudie, Deputy Chairperson A Kurtovich, Member H Guptill, Cr A Henry and Cr A Sole

2              In Attendance

J Holyoake (Chief Executive Officer), A Hall (Roading Engineer West), G Golding (Governance Manager) and P Osborne (Senior Governance Advisor)

30 Members of the public, including:

· Mayor J Denyer

· Cr Richard Crawford

· Cr Don Thwaites

· Cr Andy Wichers

· Cr Rodney Joyce

· J Clements (Katikati Community Board Chairperson)

3              Apologies

Apology

Resolution  WBC23-2.1

Moved:                         Cr A Henry

Seconded:         Deputy Chairperson A Kurtovich

That the apology for absence from Member D Simpson be accepted.

Carried

4              Consideration of Late Items

Nil

5              Declarations of Interest

Nil

6              Public Excluded Items

Nil

7              Public Forum

7.1            Sarah Elliot - Central Grants Specialist – Royal new zealand plunket trust

Ms Elliot was in attendance to speak to the application from Royal New Zealand Plunket Trust. The below points were noted:

· The current heating at the Plunket building was insufficient;

· There were a large number of mums and pēpē that were serviced at this facility;

· They had received additional funding that was used to re-paint the rooms; and

· It was a regularly requested space, so they would like to be able to let members of the community use it during the evening.

7.2           Dave Hallie - Adela Stewart Drive (West)

Mr Hallie was in attendance to speak to the Board regarding the confusion that was caused due to the closeness in street names of Adela Stewart Drive verses Adela Stewart Drive West. The below points were noted:

· He referenced Council’s ‘Roading Naming Policy’ 5.1 which stipulated that all road names should be sufficiently unique.

· He asked Council to considered changing of one of the street names (preferably the one that effected the least amount of people).

· The name ‘Matuku’ had been proposed by a member of the community.

The Governance Manager advised that this request was currently with the Resource Consents team who were dealing with it through the correct process.

7.3           Keith Hay – Katikati-Waihī Beach Ratepayers Association

Mr Hay was in attendance to speak to the Board on the below items:

· Had concern that for Council to gain access through a property for the proposed 2 Mile Creek works, they would need to satisfy the owners demands, at what he believed was a cost to the ratepayers.

· He wished to understand the location of the centreline of 2 Mile Creek, where it crossed 8-10 Wilson Road.

· He had concern that Soho 13 had built a wall over their boundary and onto 17 Edinburgh Street. He believed that the requirements for this wall agreed to by Council would take away from what was trying to be achieved through the revetment work.

· He was of the belief that neighbouring properties had suffered damage from the vibrations caused by the drill rig while it was on site at 8-10 Wilson Road.

Councillor Henry acknowledged the points raised and noted that the land on Edinburgh Street was originally purchased to help with the connectivity from Wilson Road to the Library area.

7.4          Phil Bowyer - Dump Station at Island View

Mr Bowyer was in attendance to see if there was any feedback regarding his request at the last Community Board meeting relating to the waste dump station by Island View Playground.

The Chairperson noted that he had raised this concern through his Chairpersons Report so the Board could discuss it further.

Mr Bowyer clarified that the request was to remove the waste dump station from this particular spot and move it to a more suitable site i.e. KiwiCamp.

Mr Bowyer also noted that following the recent weather events it would be good to see some further clean ups take place around Waihī Beach.

7.5           Don Ryan - CoastCare

Mr Ryan was in attendance to speak to the Board regarding the below items:

CoastCare

It was noted that the community were expecting to have a report in October/November 2022 regarding the planting plan for 2023.

The Board noted that they had followed up with Council staff to see if there were any updates from CoastCare, but were yet to hear anything. It was important to understand when the planned planting would take place.

Accessways

It was important to tidy up the accessways from 2 Mile Creek to Bowentown, as it was noted that people were going over the sand dunes, which was something that the community were working hard on restoring.

Staff were asked if they could follow up the status of the CoastCare plan and feed this back to the Board.

7.6           Diane Crisp - Identifying vulnerable locals

Ms Crisp was in attendance to ask whether there was a community based register for the vulnerable people in Waihī Beach. It was noted that during the recent weather events it highlighted the importance of knowing where vulnerable people were and whether they were checked on during these events.

Mr Bowyer (Emergency Response Team Member) noted that they went around to ensure that everyone was safe and those that were being encouraged to evacuate and needed assistance, were provided with that.

7.7           John Clements - Community Engagement

Mr Clements was in attendance in his capacity as the Katikati Community Board Chairperson, and highlighted how great it was to see the community engagement taking place in Waihī Beach.

7.8 Anthony Thompson - Use of concrete in Waihī Beach

Mr Thompson was in attendance to request that Council put in stricter guidelines around the use of concrete for building in Waihī Beach due to the way that it impeded water seepage and assisted water accretion.

8              Presentations

8.1           Presentation from Waihī Beach School

Representatives from Waihī Beach School, Rachael Coll, Micah Appleton and Sarah-Kay Coulter were in attendance to present the Waihī Beach School preliminary discussion piece regarding ‘Safer Streets Waihī Beach’. The kura would love to be in partnership with areas and community organisations to help create those safer walkways.

It was noted that the kids were asked to identify how they engaged with the space and helped identify some of the below hazards:

· Library and Community Centre – no pedestrian access at all;

· No pedestrian access planned from the school to the New library;

· Evacuation route to RSA – No road crossing facilities to ensure a safe evacuation for children in an emergency situation; and

· Ralph Lane to Beach Road walkway – Unfinished, exits onto a blind corner which vehicles often take at speed

· Beach Road Gas station/Mechanic, there was no pedestrian footpath

The Board noted that it would be good to have a discussion with the kura prior to their next Community Board meeting to go through the overall plan together. MenzShed Representatives asked to be included in this discussion.

The Roading Engineer (East and West) advised the Board that he had had a conversation with Travel Safe today to start the conversations with the kura.

Resolution  WBC23-2.2

Moved:                         Cr A Sole

Seconded:         Deputy Chairperson A Kurtovich

That the presentation from Waihī Beach School on 27 February 2023, be received.

Carried

8.2          Presentation from Live Well Waihī Beach - Matariki Garden

Pippa Coombes, Rose, Carol and Rachel Coll were in attendance to speak to a PowerPoint presentation regarding the Community Garden (Mara). The underpinning whakataukī for the mara was: Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi – with your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive.

The below points were noted:

· Our vision;

· Outcomes;

· The Mātāriki Māra Kai Design;

· Statistics; and

· Kōrero/Discussion.

The presenter/s responded to questions as follows:

· The site location was at Beach Road Recreation Reserve, which was next to the Plunket building. The reserve was still utilised by members of the community, so they had only planned to have the garden take up half of the available space.

· They were hoping to get the “spade in the ground” during Matariki 2024.

· A funding application had been submitted through the TECT Facilities Fund, as well as funding. They were also going to get sponsorship for each of the smaller gardens.

· There would be an interactive QR code which would include the kids stories.

· Overall cost was sitting at $300,000 which included a site manager and all the planting.

· Council had provided a letter of support regarding the land, and it was out for consultation prior to going to Council for final approval.

· The garden would be maintained through the Live Well Waihī Beach Steering Group.

Ms Coombes noted that she was happy to talk to anyone who wished for further information on this project.  

Resolution  WBC23-2.3

Moved:                         Cr A Henry

Seconded:         Member H Guptill

That the presentation from Live Well Waihī Beach on 27 February 2023, be received.

Carried

8.3          Presentation from Te Whānau a Tauwhao ki Otawhiwhi

Garston Smith opened the presentation with a mihi.

Reon Tuarau was in attendance to present to the Board on behalf of Te Whānau A Tauwhao ki Otawhiwhi. The below points were noted:

· It was awesome to hear the excitement from tamariki in regard to the Community Mara. It was also noted that this aligned with the Ngāti Rangi strategy around food sovereignty.

· He acknowledged the kaupapa of the entranceway signs. Tangata Whenua had been engaged with and supported the concept, and highlighted the importance of Tuhua (Mayor Island) being featured. Moving forward with this project, it was noted that Tangata Whenua imagined they would have input into the wording on the signs and the plantings that surrounded the signs.

· He gave a mihi to the Chairperson and Council in regard to checking in on tangata whenua, especially during the recent weather events.

· One of the big projects coming up for Te Whānau a Tauwhao ki Otawhiwhi was the development of a hapū management plan that highlighted aspirations for Tangata Whenua over the next 5-10 years.

· He noted that it was nice to see the community come together following the recent āwhiowhio (tornado).

· In 2022 Tangata Whenua “stepped up” their engagement with the community, which was kicked off with Matariki. The Board was reminded of the key themes for Tangata Whenua with the wider community being: whanaungatanga (relationships), kotahitanga (unity) and hauora (health). Matariki 2023 will see some new key themes come into focus. 

Resolution  WBC23-2.4

Moved:                         Cr A Henry

Seconded:         Cr A Sole

That the presentation from Te Whānau a Tauwhao ki Otawhiwhi on 27 February 2023, be received.

Carried

Minor matters not on the agenda

The Chairperson noted that a presentation from the Waihī Beach Lifeguard Services should have taken place during public forum however, due to availability Dave Litton would provide a brief update to the Board during the presentation section of the agenda.

8.4          DAVE LITTON - Waihī Beach Lifeguard Services

Mr Litton was in attendance to provide the Board with a brief update on behalf of the Waihī Beach Lifeguard Services. The below points were noted:

· The recent weather had decreased the amount of people out on the beaches.

· Statistics provided to the Board surrounding drowning incidents throughout Aotearoa.

· The lifeguards have had less rescues this year than previous years.

· Search and Rescue capability had done some further training relating to flood and swift water training, noting that they were on standby for the recent weather events.

· Mr Litton noted that it would be good to get some clearer communication around the road closures during weather events, particularly the road to Waihī Beach Lifeguard Services. The team required sufficient time to get the equipment out prior to any closures.

9              Minutes for Confirmation

9.1           Minutes of the Waihī Beach Community Board Meeting held on 12 December 2022

Resolution  WBC23-2.5

Moved:                         Chairperson R Goudie

Seconded:         Deputy Chairperson A Kurtovich

That the Minutes of the Waihī Beach Community Board Meeting held on 12 December 2022 as circulated with the agenda be confirmed as a true and correct record.

Carried

10            Reports

10.1          Chairperson Report - February 2023

The Board considered a report from the Chairperson. The report was taken as read with further discussion on the below points.

Resolution  WBC23-2.6

Moved:                         Chairperson R Goudie

Seconded:         Member H Guptill

That the Chairperson’s report dated 27 February 2023 titled ‘Chairperson Report – February 2023’ be received.

Carried

10.1.2      District Plan Review

The Board sought further information relating to the District Plan Review process.

10.1.3      Additional Carparks – Adjacent to Wilson Road

The Board was reminded that the carpark on Wilson Road was being extended over the road, as there would be significant improvements to the pedestrian flow when the new amenities were developed. There would be an additional five carparks with this improvement.

The Board noted that they would like to be presented with the plan and have a further discussion prior to the next formal meeting.

10.1.4      Waihī Beach FINCO’s

There was a discussion from the Board regarding FINCOs and how they contributed to roads within Waihī Beach. The Roading Engineer (East and West) noted that this discussion could take place during a workshop however, noted that if the Board wished to progress a particular roading project, they had funds in their roading budget for this.

The Board was advised that in order for a project to qualify for FINCOs funding, it would need to be included in the Waihī Beach Structure Plan.

The Board noted the importance of ensuring that the proposed developments that were FINCOs funded worked well within the community.

The Chief Executive Officer reminded that Board that the Roading Engineer (West and East) was in attendance for these meetings to support the delivery of Community Board roading projects. It was important to remember that frustrations relating to FINCOs and other infrastructure related projects should not be directed toward the Roading Engineer (East and West).

10.1.5      Annual Plan

There was a query from the Board regarding how they were expected to make comments or a submission on particular projects, if they were not privy to the rationale behind the decisions made.

The Mayor provided clarification around the role of the Board, noting that it was in being an advocate for the community with a focus on their local area. He reiterated the importance of the role that the Councillor’s had on the Board, as they provided a direct link between Council and Community Boards.

The Board was encouraged to make a submission to the Annual Plan when it went out for consultation.

10.2         Councillor's Report - February 2023

The Board considered a report from Councillor Henry. The report was taken as read with a brief overview on each of the topics listed in the agenda.

Councillor Henry noted that there was an upcoming Katikati-Waihī Beach Community Forum which would be taking place on 27 March 2023. These community forums would feed directly into the Community Committee.

Resolution  WBC23-2.7

Moved:                         Cr A Henry

Seconded:         Chairperson R Goudie

That the Councillor’s report dated 27 February 2023 titled ‘Councillor’s Report’ be received.

Carried

10.3         Waihī Beach Community Board - ANZAC Day Commemoration 2023

The Board considered a report from the Senior Governance Advisor. The report was taken as read.

Resolution  WBC23-2.8

Moved:                         Chairperson R Goudie

Seconded:         Deputy Chairperson A Kurtovich

1.        That the Senior Governance Advisor’s report dated 16 February 2023, titled ‘Waihī        Beach Community Board – ANZAC Day Commemoration 2023’, be received.

2.       That the report relates to an issue that is considered to be of low significance in   terms of Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy.

Carried

Resolution  WBC23-2.9

Moved:                         Cr A Sole

Seconded:         Member H Guptill

3.       That the Waihī Beach Community Board provide a wreath for the   ANZAC Day        Service, to be paid from the Waihī Beach Community Board         Contingency     Account (up to the value of $200).

Carried

Resolution  WBC23-2.10

Moved:                         Chairperson R Goudie

Seconded:         Cr A Sole

4.      That Deputy Chairperson A Kurtovich and Member H Guptill represents the Waihī Beach Community Board at the ANZAC Day Service at Waihī Beach on 25 April 2023.

Carried

10.4        Waihī Beach Communtiy Board Grant Application – February 2023

The Board considered a report from the Senior Governance Advisor. The report was taken as read with further clarification on the below:

· If the building wished to be used by a commercial organisation, then there would be a contribution for hireage however, if there was a request to use by a business or organisation that benefited the community, then there would be no contribution required.

Resolution  WBC23-2.11

Moved:                         Member H Guptill

Seconded:         Cr A Sole

1.        That the Senior Governance Advisor’s report dated 27 February 2023 titled ‘Waihī         Beach Community Board Grant Application – February 2023’ be received.

2.       That the Waihī Beach Community Board approve the Grant Application from Royal    New Zealand Plunket Trust for $3,500 to contribute towards the purchase and           Installation of two heat pumps. This grant will be funded from the Waihī Beach        Community Board Grants Account, subject to all accountabilities being met.

Carried

10.5         Infrastructure Group Report Waihī Beach Community Board February 2023

The Board considered a report from the Deputy Chief Executive. The report was taken as read with further information on the below:

Resolution  WBC23-2.12

Moved:                         Chairperson R Goudie

Seconded:         Member H Guptill

That the Deputy Chief Executive’s Report, dated 27 February 2023, and titled ‘Infrastructure Group Report Waihī Beach Community Board February 2023’, be received.

Carried

10.5.1      WILSON ROAD TREE Replacement

The Board was advised that although they had a desire for a Nikau Tree, this decision was an operational decision and did not require Board approval. The rationale provided to the Board was around the infrastructure, including a vulnerable water main underneath the site and the number of complaints received regarding the frond droppings.

The Board did not feel as though the Lancewood was the correct tree and therefore did not wish to have a tree put in this space as a replacement.

Resolution  WBC23-2.13

Moved:                         Chairperson R Goudie

Seconded:         Deputy Chairperson A Kurtovich

That the Waihī Beach Community Board request that no replacement tree be planted on Wilson Road.

Carried

10.5.2     2 Mile Creek

The Board would like some clarification around the timeline of this project. It was noted that during recent weather events the waves came over top of the wall, which highlighted concerns regarding the impact that the wall was going to have on completion.

The Board expressed concern regarding this project and noted that they would like to have input into future discussions relating to this project.

The Board was advised that no discussions with Council had been had in relation to this project, since the beginning of the triennium.

10.6         Waihī Beach Community Board - Financial Report December 2022

The Board considered a report from the Financial Business Advisor. The report was taken as read.

Resolution  WBC23-2.14

Moved:                         Chairperson R Goudie

Seconded:         Cr A Henry

That the Financial Business Advisor’s reports dated 27 February 2023 and titled ‘Waihī Beach Community Board – Financial Report December 2022’

Carried

The Meeting closed at 8.40pm.

Confirmed as a true and correct record at the Waihī Beach Community Board meeting held on 24 April 2023.

...................................................

Chairperson R Goudie

CHAIRPERSON