Maketu Community Board Meeting Minutes

19 November 2024

MINUTES OF Western Bay of Plenty District Council
Maketu Community Board Meeting No. MKC24-7
HELD IN THE Maketu Community Centre, Wilson Road, Maketu
ON Tuesday, 19 November 2024 AT 7.00pm

1                 Present

Chairperson T Hopping, Deputy R Corbett, Cr L Rae, Deputy Mayor J Scrimgeour, Member B Waterhouse (Not yet sworn in).

2                In Attendance

A Curtis (General Manager Regulatory Services) and E Logan (Governance Advisor)

Others in attendance

5 members of the public

3                Apologies

3.1          APOLOGIES

Resolution  MKC24-7.1

Moved:                         Cr L Rae

Seconded:         Deputy R Corbett

That the apology for absence from Member Walters be accepted.

Carried

4               Consideration of Late Items

Nil

5                Declarations of Interest

Nil

6                Public Excluded Items

Nil

7                Public Forum

7.1          Sue Matthews - Te Puke Heritage Hub

Ms Matthews was in attendance on behalf of the Western Bay Heritage Trust to speak to the Board about the Te Puke Heritage Hub. She noted the following points:

· She presented the Te Puke Heritage Hub concept to the Board for their information.

· Funding of $52,000 had been sourced, however, $100,000 was required to get the project up and running. Ms Matthews noted that there were 30 donors waiting to provide funding to the project once a building had been secured.

· The Te Puke Heritage Hub would follow the same policy, procedures and professional modelling as the Heritage Hub in Katikati.

· The Te Puke Heritage Hub would utilise Katikati Heritage Hub’s connections with external organisation such as Te Papa Museum.

· It was anticipated that the Heritage Hub would have interactive aspects to it.

· Ms Matthews noted that there would be engagement with Tangata Whenua to ensure their stories were shared within the Heritage Hub as well. 

· To ensure the project was financially manageable, the intention was to start the Heritage Hub small and build it over time.

7.2 Maru Tapsell – Te Puke heritage hub  

Matua Tapsell was in attendance to speak to the Board regarding the Te Puke Heritage Hub. He noted the following points:

· He expressed his support for the Te Puke Heritage Hub proposal.

· He explained that Maketu held a lot of historical importance. He noted that Maketu had many stories that needed to be told, and the Heritage Hub was a tool that could be use to tell these stories.

· He acknowledge that there was an economic factor that was linked with the heritage of Maketu.

· He noted that it was important to support sustainability and the environment through the Heritage Hub.

7.3         Hariata Rewi - Various topics

Whaea Rewi was in attendance to speak to the Board regarding the below topics:

Wharekahu Urupā

· She extended her gratitude to the Board and Council staff for the work that was taking place, noting that the progress was looking good.

· She also noted that signage was needed next to the handrails, to prevent individuals from leaning on them.

· Concern was raised regarding the pile of rubbish that was accumulating.

The Board advised that discussions with Councils Reserves and Facilities staff had taken place, regarding the potential for a large kiwifruit bin to be placed at the urupā. This would allow residents/whānau to place the belongings from the graves into it while the earthworks were in progress.

It was also noted that Councils Reserves and Facilities Team were in the process of exploring different options for the water installation.

Wilson Road North Rehabilitation

· Whaea Rewi raised concern regarding the state of Wilson Road North and the damage it had caused to her house.

· She noted that signage was needed to reduce the speeding up and down the road.

The General Manager Regulatory Services advised that the rehabilitation was on Councils Transportation Teams work programme for the 2025/26 construction season.

In regard to the rehabilitation of No 1 Road in Te Puke, the General Manager Infrastructure Services had assured the residents that once the base of the road was re-done, the shaking and rumbling of the houses would be reduced. The Board assumed that this would be the same for the Wilson Road North Rehabilitation.

Representation Review

· Whaea Rewi raised concern about what would happen to the Maketu Community Board through the process of the Representation Review. Noting that she wanted to ensure that Maketu was looked after.

The Board provided the following comments:

· Council would adopt the Representation Review 20 November 2024.

· Council had to consider what was the fairest way to represent the entire district, noting that with the status quo, a large portion of the district was not represented by a Community Board.

· Following Council’s decision on the Representation Review, appeals/objections to the proposal could be made to the Local Government Commission.

7.4         Terry Maika - Community Centre Custodian

Matua Maika was in attendance to introduce himself to the Board. He  expressed his interest in becoming the new custodian of the Maketu Community Centre.

7.5         Tania Rewi - Various Topics

Whaea Rewi was in attendance to speak to the Board regarding the following topics:

Wharekahu Urupā

· She queried the Board about the kōrero that was had with staff regarding the water installation.

The Board explained that a cost had been received for direction drilling under the ground, however, this option was very costly. Council’s Reserves and Facilities Team was looking at alternative options that had a lower cost.

Wilson Road North Rehabilitation

· Whaea Rewi noted that the trucks that went up and down the road made her house shake. It was queried whether the Board knew if the rehabilitation would fix this problem.

The Board reiterated that during the leadup to the rehabilitation of No 1 Road in Te Puke, the General Manager Infrastructure Services had assured the residents that once the base of the road was re-done, the shaking and rumbling of the house would be reduced. They assumed that this would be the same for the Wilson Road North rehabilitation.

Community Centre Custodian

· Whaea Rewi had heard about the role through the out-going Community Centre Custodian. She introduced herself to the Board and offered her services to be the new Community Centre Custodian.

8                Minutes for Confirmation

8.1          Minutes of the Maketu Community Board Meeting held on 1 October 2024

Resolution  MKC24-7.2

Moved:                         Cr L Rae

Seconded:         Deputy R Corbett

1. That the Minutes of the Maketu Community Board Meeting held on 1 October 2024 as circulated with the agenda be confirmed as a true and correct record subject to the below amendment being made:

            That the following amendment be made to item 7.1:

            “Change the estimated time frame for the Wilson Road North Rehabilitation from the 2024/25 construction season to the correct timeframe of the          2025/26 construction season.”

2. That the Chairperson’s electronic signature be inserted into the confirmed minutes.

Carried

9                Reports

9.1          Maketu Community Board - Workshop Notes - November 2024

· The workshop notes were received with no further discussion.

9.2         Maketu Community Board - Chairperson's Report - November 2024

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

Resolution  MKC24-7.3

Moved:                         Cr L Rae

Seconded:         Deputy R Corbett

That the Chairperson’s report dated 19 November 2024 titled ‘Maketu Community Board – Chairperson’s Report – November 2024’ be received.

Carried

9.2.1       Wharekahu Urupā

· A karakia had taken place on site, following this, the headstones were uplifted. These would be returned on 13 December 2024.

· Temporary signage would be installed to ensure that local residents were aware of the earthworks in progress. 

9.2.2      Mowing within maketu concerns

· The Board expressed further concern regarding the quality of mowing within Maketu.

· The General Manager Regulatory Services noted that Council staff were reviewing the level of service for various maintenance items. A workshop would be held with Elected members as part of the review. The level of service of mowing across the district would be included within this process.

· The Board encouraged Council staff to utilise local contractors that were able to do the local work within the village, rather than sourcing contractors from other areas of the district.

· The Governance Advisor would endeavour to obtain a map that highlighted the urban mowing areas vs the rural mowing areas.

9.2.3      Pedestrian Safety Improvements

· The community member that proposed the installation of traffic mirrors at the corner of Maketu Road and Spencer Avenue had engaged with residents that lived next to the proposed location and consent had been provided. 

· The Project Engineer Transportation had advised the Board not to use traffic mirrors and to ultimately not proceed with this project as traffic mirrors often caused more of a safety concern, were hard to maintain, and therefore often ineffective.

Resolution  MKC24-7.5

Moved:                         Cr L Rae

Seconded:         Deputy Mayor J Scrimgeour

          That the Maketu Community Board requests a cost estimate for the installation of two traffic mirrors at the corner of Maketu Road and Spencer Avenue to improve   the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

.Carried

9.2.4     Spencer Avenue Culvert Upgrade

· The Board requested an updated progress report on the ‘Spencer Avenue culvert upgrade’ project and the related cycleway extension over and across the culvert.

9.2.5     Wilson Road North Rehabilitation

· The Board noted that Wilson Road North rehabilitation work needed to provide the road with the capability of being a by-pass road to accommodate for large trucks.

· They also raised concern that the Rangiuru Business Park would inevitably make the road busier.

9.3         Maketu Community Board - Councillor's Report - November 2024

The Board considered a report from the Deputy Mayor Scrimgeour. The report was taken as read, with further discussion on the below:

Representation Review:

· The decision on the Representation Review was planned to be made in a Council meeting on 20 November 2024.

Local Waters Done Well

· Council had approved for staff to engage with Tauranga City Council staff to discuss potential opportunities to align and work collaboratively. 

· Council had engaged external consultants MartinJenkins to do a detailed review of Council assets.

Easter Trading By-Laws

· It was noted that there would be no changes made to the Easter Trading By-Laws.

Community Matching Fund

· The Maketu Surf Club Life Saving Club had been granted funding from the Community Matching Fund. This funding would go towards foam boards and hi-vis rash shirts for their junior surf programme. The programme taught surf safety to kids under 14, engaging them to purse Surf Life Saving and community volunteerism.

District Plan

· The Te Puke Spatial Plan Sub-Committee had a design-led workshop in October 2024. Staff were in the process of developing the Spatial Plan proposal.

· The General Manager Regulatory Services outlined the process for District Plan Hearings, and noted that the District Plan Committee would meet on 20 November 2024 to appoint commissioners for upcoming hearings.

Town Point Road

· Concern was raised regarding the loose gravel on Town Point Road. The gravel was consistently moving from private driveways onto the road and was a safety hazard for cyclists.

· It was noted that this topic would be moved to the Boards first workshop of 2025.

Resolution  MKC24-7.6

Moved:                         Cr L Rae

Seconded:         Deputy R Corbett

That the Deputy Mayor’s report dated 19 November 2024 titled ‘Maketu Community Board – Councillor’s Reports – November 2024’ be received.

Carried

9.4         Maketu Community Board - Projects and Operations Report - November 2024

The Board considered a report from the General Manager Infrastructure Services’. The report was taken as read, with further discussion on the below.

Resolution  MKC24-7.7

Moved:                         Cr L Rae

Seconded:         Deputy R Corbett

That the General Manager Infrastructure Services’ report dated 19 November 2024 titled ‘Maketu Community Board – Projects and Operations Report – November 2024.

Carried

Resolution  MKC24-7.8

Moved:                         Deputy Mayor J Scrimgeour

Seconded:         Deputy R Corbett

That the Maketu Community Board approve a budget of up to $49,500 from the Roading Account for the installation of a 1.5 metre wide, 250-metre-long footpath extension on Wilson Road North as shown in Attachment 1.

Carried

9.4.1      Service Requests on Roaming Dogs

The Board requested an updated report on the Service Request’s that had been made in regard to roaming dogs.

9.5         Maketu Community Board - Financial Report - October 2024

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

Resolution  MKC24-7.9

Moved:                         Cr L Rae

Seconded:         Deputy R Corbett

That the Financial Business Advisor’s report dated 19 November 2024 titled ‘Maketu Community Board – Financial Report - October 2024’ be received.

Carried

The Meeting closed at 8.53pm.

Confirmed as a true and correct record at the Maketu Community Board meeting held on 25 February 2025.

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

Chairperson T Hopping

CHAIRPERSON