Minutes of Te Puke Community Board Meeting

Te Puke Community Board Meeting Minutes

3 April 2025

UNCONFIRMED

MINUTES OF Western Bay of Plenty District Council
Te Puke Community Board Meeting No. TPC25-2
HELD IN THE Te Puke Library and Service Centre, 130 Jellicoe Street, Te Puke (Boardroom). ON Thursday, 3 April 2025 AT 7.00pm

The Chairperson opened the hui with a karakia.

1 Present

Chairperson K Ellis, Deputy D Snell, Member N Chauhan, Member K Summerhays, Cr G Dally and Cr A Wichers.

2 In Attendance

C Crow (General Manager Infrastructure Group), R Garrett (Governance Manager), and E Logan (Governance Advisor).

3 Apologies

Nil

4 Consideration of Late Items

Nil

5 Declarations of Interest

Members were advised that if they had an interest (actual, potential, pecuniary or non-pecuniary interest) in any item on the agenda, then they must declare this interest and refrain from discussing or voting on this item and were advised to withdraw from the meeting table for the item (As per the Local Authorities (Member’s Interest) Act 1968.

· Chairperson K Ellis advised the Board that she had a declaration of financial interest regarding the Made in Te Puke Trust Grant Application in report 9.4 of the agenda – Te Puke Community Board – Grant Applications – April 2025.

· Deputy Chairperson D Snell advised the Board that she had a declaration of financial interest regarding the T Made in Te Puke Trust Grant Application in report 9.4 of the agenda – Te Puke Community Board – Grant Applications – April 2025.

6 Public Excluded Items

Nil

7 Public Forum

7.1 Sam Edwards - DISC GOLF Course

Mr Edwards was in attendance to provide an update on the installation of a Disc Golf Course at Donovan Park. He noted the below points:

· The group had been running a pop up course for the community to participate in. The layout of the pop up course was the same as what was proposed within the Board funded course design.

· The pop up course had been useful in determining what minor changes needed to be made to the original course design.

· To help with its progression, the project had been split into two stages. Implementation of Stage 1 would put an operational course into Donovan park using the $10,000 of funding from the Board. Stage 2 would include the more expensive aspects as funding became available such as the concrete Tee pads.

7.2 Trudy and Kevin Rowe - Tree Removal

Mr and Mrs Rowe were in attendance to discuss the removal of a tree on Moehau Street. The below points were noted:

· There was a protected tree on the property behind theirs and the landowner was wanting it to be removed.

· The tree dropped leaves about 9 months of the year which caused the surrounding drains to become blocked.

· Mr Rowe noted that he would support the removal or relocation of the tree.

· The tree was in need of an arborist. There were concerns about branches falling down.

· The landowner had contacted Council to request the removal of the tree.

The Board provided the following tākupu:

· The tree in question was scheduled in the District Plan as a category 1 Heritage Tree which recognised trees of such significance that their preservation was regarded to be of national importance.

· The maintenance of the tree was the responsibility of the landowner.

· The Board had provided staff with a Citizen Tree Report which had stated that the tree was in need of an arborist. Members were still awaiting staff feedback on the report.

The Governance Advisor would follow up regarding this issue and provide the Board with clarification around the advice that had been provided to Mr and Mrs Rowe.

7.3 Various Speakers - Landscape Road/McLoughlin Park Footpath

Mrs Hodge and Mr Rule were in attendance to seek a progress update on the McLoughlin Park footpath. They noted the below points:

Steve Rule

· Mr Rule queried whether an engagement evening had taken place in regard to the McLoughlin Park footpath and the implementation of the wider concept plan.

· Mr Rule requested clarification on whether or not a gravel footpath was planned to be installed along Landscape Road and if Council was aware of any developments planned/in the works in the Landscape Road area.

· During kiwifruit season there was an increase in traffic and speeding on Landscape Road which jeopardised the safety of pedestrians. In Mr Rule’s opinion, a footpath along the roadside would not improve this.

The Board were yet to determine a date for the engagement evening but had planned to do so at the end of the meeting.

The General Manager Infrastructure Services made the following tākupu:

· A concept plan for the McLoughlin Park area had been provided to the Board (Tabled Item 1), which included an option for a footpath along Landscape Road. This option was included within the concept plan for the purpose of completeness.

· He was not aware of any development that was being planned for the Landscape Road area.

Helen Hodge

· The Te Puke Squash Club (the Club) had hosted a club vs club event the previous weekend. During this event, a Landscape Road resident had had a near miss going around the corner due to the amount of cars and lack of parking space.

· The increase in freedom campers had left little parking spaces for the Club members.

· The safety of members, especially at night, was becoming more of an issue than it had ever been.

· Installing a new carpark area was going to be a huge undertaking for the Club. It was estimated that this project could cost around $100,000 to implement.

· There had been a suggestion of building a pickle ball court on the land as the sport was becoming more popular.

The Board members provided the following tākupu:

· The Club members were encouraged to submit to the Draft Te Puke Spatial Plan when it came time for consultation. Board members would request that staff inform the Club when the consultation opened.

· Members would contact the relevant Club members regarding the date and time of the onsite hui once it had been confirmed.

The General Manager Infrastructure Services noted that there was an opportunity to extend out the carpark area at the bottom of the hill.

8 Minutes for Confirmation

8.1 Minutes of the Te Puke Community Board Meeting held on 20 February 2025

Resolution TPC25-2.1

Moved: Cr G Dally

Seconded: Member K Summerhays

1. That the Minutes of the Te Puke Community Board Meeting held on 20 February 2025 as circulated with the agenda be confirmed as a true and correct record.

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

Carried

9 Reports

9.1 Te Puke Community Board - Workshop Notes - April 2025

The workshop notes were received.

No further discussion was had.

9.2 Te Puke Community Board - Chairperson's Report - April 2025

The Board considered a report from the Chairperson dated 03 April 2025. The report was taken as read, with further discussion on the below.

Resolution TPC25-2.2

Moved: Member N Chauhan

Seconded: Cr A Wichers

1. That the Chairperson’s report dated 03 April 2025 titled ‘Te Puke Community Board – Chairperson’s Report – April 2025’ be received.

Carried

Resolution TPC25-2.3

Moved: Member K Summerhays

Seconded: Chairperson K Ellis

That the Te Puke Community Board approves a budget of $2,500 from the Reserves Account to carry out an initial public engagement workshop on a community plan with residents of Te Puke.

Carried

9.2.1 COMMUNITY PLAN

· Members questioned the value of holding a public workshop, considering it was the end of the triennium.

· It was noted that the purpose of the public workshop was to gain an understanding of the communities appetite for a Community Plan.

· The outcome of the public workshop would be recorded on an advisory note for the incoming Elected Members.

· There were various issues that would not be addressed through the Draft Te Puke Spatial Plan but could be addressed within a Community Plan.

· The Board envisioned sourcing an external person to facilitate the public workshop.

9.2.2 Town Centre Development Fund

· Staff advised that the town centre was mapped out in the Te Puke Town Plan. However, because the Te Puke Town Plan was almost 20 years old, the determination of the town centre was flexible.

9.2.4 TE PUKE Community charitable Trust MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

· A draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Te Puke Community Charitable Trust (the Trust) had been sent to Board members and Iwi representatives for confirmation.

· There had been minor wording changes to reflect the potential change that could come from the Representation Review. The changes ensured that two Elected Members from the Te Puke area be appointed on to the Trust.

9.3 Te Puke Community Board - Councillor's Report - April 2025

The Board considered a report from Councillor Dally dated 03 April 2025. The report was taken as read, with further discussion on the below.

Resolution TPC25-2.4

Moved: Deputy D Snell

Seconded: Chairperson K Ellis

1. That the report from Councillor Dally dated 03 April 2025 titled ‘Te Puke Community Board – Councillors Report – April 2025’ be received.

Carried

9.3.1 MUER PLACE

· Staff were modelling flood events against the Tonkin + Taylor stormwater modelling. Work was being undertaken to drone and channel upstream to identify any changes that could have been the cause of the flooding.

9.3.2 Local Waters Done Well

· It was noted that all information about the potential options was available on the Council website.

· Board members were encouraged to attend the community consultation session on 12 April 2025 at the Te Puke Memorial Hall.

9.4 Te Puke Community Board - Grant Applications - April 2025

The Board considered a report from the Governance Advisor dated 03 April 2025. The report was taken as read. Board members expressed the need for further advertising of the Community Board Grant Funding on the Community Noticeboard Facebook page.

Chairperson K Ellis and Deputy Chairperson D Snell declared a financial interest in the Made in Te Puke Trust Grant Application and took no part in the discussion or voting on this application.

Resolution TPC25-2.5

Moved: Cr G Dally

Seconded: Member K Summerhays

1. That the Governance Advisor’s report dated 03 April 2025 titled ‘Te Puke Community Board – Grant Applications – April 2025’ be received.

2. That the Te Puke Community Board approves the grant application from the Made in Te Puke Trust (Charitable Trust) for $2,308.00, to contribute to the costs of WasteWatchers for the Te Kete Matariki event. This grant will be funded from the Te Puke Community Board Grants Account, subject to all accountabilities being met.

Chairperson K Ellis and Deputy Chairperson D Snell abstained from voting.

Carried

9.5 Te Puke Community Board - Heritage Plaza Project - April 2025

The Board considered a report from the Transportation Project Engineer dated 03 April 2025. The report was taken as read, with further discussion on the below.

Resolution TPC25-2.6

Moved: Cr G Dally

Seconded: Chairperson K Ellis

1. That the Transportation Project Engineer's report dated 3 April 2025 titled ‘Te Puke Heritage Plaza’ be received.

2. That the Te Puke Community Board approves the Heritage Plaza improvement final design (Attachment 1) and approves construction of phase 1 of the project.

Carried

9.5.1 Heritage Plaza Funding Allocation

· Board members raised a concern about the projects funding sources that were outlined in the report and requested further clarification on this.

· It was noted that the projects funding sources that were detailed in the report were incorrect.

· The Board requested that the funding source of the $100,000 be allocated from the Transportation Surplus and the remaining $52,000 from the Community Boards Roading Account, noting that this was the opposite to what was outlined in the report.

· This would allow for the remaining $40,000 (noting that $8,000 had already been spent) from the Community Boards Roading Account to be used for phase 2 of the project, which would include the lighting design.

· It was requested that a report be brought to the Board outlining the costs of stage 2 of the project.

9.6 Te Puke Community Board - Priority Roading Projects - April 2025

The Board considered a report from the Transportation Project Engineer’s dated 03 April 2025. The report was taken as read, with further discussion on the below.

· The General Manager Infrastructure Services noted that staff had planned to look into the Te Puke (East) Traffic Congestion as a potential Council project, therefore, it was not necessary for this to be added as a priority project for the Board.

· The Board would discuss their potential funding contributions to the Waiāri Bridge Area Restoration Project at a workshop.

· Staff would undertake further investigation of the prioritised projects and seek approval to progress the projects through formal resolution at the next meeting.

· It was noted that the detailed design of the roading priorities would not come at a financial cost to the Board.

Resolution TPC25-2.7

Moved: Member K Summerhays

Seconded: Chairperson K Ellis

1. That the Transportation Project Engineer’s report dated 3 April 2025 titled ‘Te Puke Community Board Priority Roading Projects’ be received.

2. That the Te Puke Community Board approves the following project prioritisation list.

Priority Projects	Rough Order Cost Estimate
Waiāri Bridge Area Restoration Project	$300,000
McLoughlin Park Enhancements Project	$100,000
Jellicoe Street Amenity Enhancements	$150,000
Te Puke Quarry Road footpath extension (Jellicoe Street to Manoeka Road)	$200,000

3. That the Te Puke Community Board approve for Transportation staff to complete a detailed design on each of the prioritised roading projects and report back to the Board with these detailed designs and cost estimates for approval at the next Te Puke Community Board meeting on 29 May 2025.

Carried

9.7 Te Puke Community Board - Projects and Operations Report - April 2025

The Board considered a report from the Executive Assistant Infrastructure Group dated 03 April 2025. The report was taken as read, with further information on the below.

Resolution TPC25-2.8

Moved: Chairperson K Ellis

Seconded: Member K Summerhays

1. That the Executive Assistant Infrastructure Group‘s report dated 03 April 2025 titled ‘Te Puke Community Board – Projects and Operations Report – April 2025’ be received.

Carried

9.7.1 History Boards

· The Governance Advisor would reach out to the Kaupapa Māori Team to gain an understanding of their capacity to facilitate engagement with Tapuika and Waitaha on the project.

9.7.2 Service Requests

· Concern was raised about the uncompleted service requests regarding three drains.

· The General Manager Infrastructure Services would take this issue back to the relevant staff members and report the findings back to the Board.

· Within the budget available, staff were wanting to sweep fallen leaves once a week.

· The Board requested further data on freedom camping including the number of freedom campers and the hotspots in the area. The General Manager Infrastructure Services would provide this to the Board.

9.8 Te Puke Community Board - Financial Report February 2025

The Board considered a report from the Financial Business Partner Lead. The report was taken as read. It was noted that the Board would carry-out an audit of its finances at its next workshop to ensure that all unspent committed funds were released back into the relevant accounts.

Resolution TPC25-2.9

Moved: Deputy D Snell

Seconded: Cr G Dally

1. The Financial Business Partner Lead’s report dated 3 April 2025 titled ‘Te Puke Community Board – Financial Report February 2025’ be received.

Carried

10 Information for Receipt

The Meeting closed at 9.33pm.

Confirmed as a true and correct record at the Te Puke Community Board meeting held on 29 May 2025.

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Chairperson K Ellis

CHAIRPERSON