7.30 pm, Monday 29 October 2018
Attendance
Committee: Iain MacLean, Jonathan Harker, Paul FitzGerald, Brian Sullivan, Kate Dreaver, David Olsen, Pauline Morse, June Penhey, Beccy Davis.
Community: Lucy Wiles, Gillian Candler, Ben Knight, Mack Morum, Pauline Morum, Kerry Gray, Jacqui McIntosh, Josh Wrightson, Angela Brown, Kelly McClean, Barbara Donaldson (GWRC), Anita Baker (PCC), Ross Leggett (PCC), Dale Williams (PCC), Jenny Brash (GWRC), Lee Begg, Jenny Dawson, Nikky Winchester, Megan Winchester, Jenny Wrightson, Trevor Thompson (QE2 National Trust), Yvonne Fletcher, Bill McAulay, Anna Geling, Fiona Sutton, Melvin Galletly, Kate Dreaver, Christine Ford, John Ford, Iesha Warren, Damien Stairmand.
Apologies: Guy Marriage, Margaret & Ashley Blair.
Nibbles!
7.30 pm: Welcome, and thank you to the folks who organised the help for the truck drivers and motorists stranded last week by the road spill and clean-up operation. A spread of food and refreshments was kindly supplied by Mainfreight.
Meeting proper started at 7.49 pm.
Adoption of the minutes from 2017 AGM
Motion: to accept and adopt the minutes of the 2017 AGM. Moved Paul FitzGerald, second Brian Sullivan. None opposed, motion carried.
Chair’s report
Full report available here: 2018 annual report of the chair.
In summary, a very productive year. We rely on the Porirua City Council (PCC) Village Planning process to fund many of this year’s projects: He Ara Pukerua, the Community Garden, and the Ara Harakeke pathway extension.
He Ara Pukerua
We funded timber for more bollards and signs on the western end of Ocean Parade, Muri station, and the northern look out.
The Community Food Forest Garden
The garden now has 35 fruit trees and 50 support trees, all surviving the wind so far, and some currently in flower.
Transport and movement
Muri Road safety improvements have now been completed thanks to Bill Inge at PCC and Downer contractors. Work for slip repairs around the shops are to start in November; the slips first, then the footpath extension on top afterwards.
Wayfinding signs are underway to be placed between the trail walkway and the shops and railway station.
The Community and School Hall
The hall has been managed by a combined school and community committee since the early 1970s, and details of a renewed agreement are still to be discussed with the Board of Trustees.
We have also been able to support the PKB Hub to host a number of events.
PKB Hub
Presented by Beccy Davis:
The last 12 months’ detail is in the chair’s annual report. The two main events this year were Matariki and Christmas on the Field. In addition there were 13 workshops covering all sorts of topics, e.g. children’s art, harakeke, and whole foods. Three regular groups were established: a fermentation club, crafts, and Basketball in the Bay. Several fundraisers have been held to continue operating, and were well supported: Waitangi Day BBQ, Quiz Night, and sales of stainless steel tanks, etc.
Also had the support of PCC through their creative communities scheme, collaborative art, stars for Matariki; over 200 people went on the Secret Valley walk, and about 400 attended the Matariki event. We are currently planning this year’s Christmas on the Field on the 1st of December.
Achieved charitable status this year, as the Ahu Charitable Trust.
PCC are supporting PKB Hub with a special grant to research isolation & loneliness, identified as a growing concern for community health, to do research in Pukerua Bay, hold a hui and get community involvement, to identify how isolation & loneliness are impacting Pukerua Bay residents, how to respond, and what we can do to mitigate impacts and improve. Looking forward to community participation in this.
PKB Hub thanks people who have participated and attended events, and the Residents’ Association and PCC for their support. Check us out on facebook.com/pkbhub, or email us at hello@pkbhub.org.nz.
Iain: PCC and other participants at the initial research grant meeting were enthused and excited to see how the project turns out.
Engine braking noise
After approaching PCC and NZTA, we ran a community survey to establish the need for braking signs. As a result, NZTA will erect new signs at each end of the village.
Penguin sign
Funds were raised from grants and collaboration with various coastal environmental groups to get the sign designed and installed.
Coastal Erosion
Affected residents are understandably very concerned about this issue. Mitigation is very expensive for PCC and occurs along a long coastline; solutions are not always quick or easy. The PCC coastal workshop earlier in the year was productive and informative, and work is underway by PCC consultants to develop the necessary, very long-term (50-100 year) coastal erosion regional plan.
Porirua District Plan
The PCC Draft District Plan is now out for community consultation. We encourage everyone to take a look, contribute feedback, and attend one of the community workshops.
Acknowledgements
Thank the members of the Executive Committee of the Residents’ Association for the work they have done during the year, the PCC staff and PCC and Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) councillors who attend our meetings and support our community.
Motion: to accept the annual report of the chair. Moved Iain MacLean, seconded Paul FitzGerald. None opposed, motion carried.
Financial report
Income for 2017/18 was $11,638.32. Expenses for 2017/18 were $10,212.12. This left a net surplus for the year of $919.01.
Net assets at 30 September 2018 were $2,619.37, being a mixture of cash in the bank and equipment owned by the Association.
Motion: to accept the financial report for the 2018 year. Moved Iain MacLean, second June. None opposed, motion carried.
Pest-free Pukerua Bay
Presented by Gillian Candler.
Pest-free Pukerua Bay was started as Predator-free Pukerua Bay two years ago. Now 12 per cent of properties have at least one rat/mouse trap tunnel, and around 1800 predators have been removed so far. PCC provided DOC 200 larger traps for use on reserves, for rats and mustelids (weasels, ferrets and stoats). They have also been targeting wasps.
Results: kākā and little blue penguins are now seen more often in Pukerua Bay.
What you can do:
- To join, purchase two traps for $20. Then keep them set and baited. If you can’t handle dead animals, there are volunteers who can come and help.
- Sign up to help check the bigger traps in the reserves.
- Tell us if you see or hear possums.
- Offer your property for a wasp eradication bait station.
- Keep reporting sightings of uncommon birds and lizards.
What’s next?
A lizard protection trial to increase trapping in the DOC Pukerua Bay Scientific Reserve over a 100 x 150 m area, which is the habitat of Oligosoma whitakeri, Whitaker’s Skink. Fit volunteers are required to help with this project.
Contact the group on predatorfreepkb@gmail.com
On Facebook, join the Predator Free Pukerua Bay group.
Questions:
How are skinks excluded from the other traps?
They don’t tend to trigger the rat traps, but are sometimes caught in mouse traps. Are using the good-nature traps in lizard areas.
What is the estimated numbers of penguins?
No census has been done, though people have been recording sightings, and it is hard to estimate from that data.
What can be done about compliance around the dog by-laws vs. the information on the penguin signs?
Not much at the moment; we rely a lot on good will, and attempting to approach or educate dog owners about it.
Guardians of Kāpiti Marine Reserve
Presented by Ben Knight.
Ben was inspired as a youngster by Jacques Cousteau, one of the co-inventors of SCUBA diving, and his TV documentaries. The Guardians’ aims are to protect the oceans and build connections around the region; by joining up with the Pukerua Bay rahui, and the exclusion zone around Cook Strait, it will be the largest ocean area reserve in NZ.
On a recent school project to take kids out snorkeling to show them the benefit of ocean protection, Ben took a video and photographs of around Kāpiti Island, found a fish that hasn’t been identified and could be a new species or possibly at least a new mutation or hybrid.
Guardians group was established in 2016 as a network of scientists, marine users, educators, conservationists and other interested members of the public. After a very large successful public meeting, the charitable trust board formed April 2017.
The group’s aim is to protect the reserve and surrounding marine environment for the benefit of the community now and for future generations. Other activities include:
- foster community pride and sense of ownership and facilitate their input
- supporting community to work together as kaitiaki
- work with the various stakeholders, collaborate with govt agencies
- marine education & research
- set up a marine discovery and research centre in the Raumati Pools building, council-owned on DOC land
- events, displays, presentations to schools, educators, etc.
- webcam network
- compliance observer group
- fundraising.
The reserve was established in 1992 and is NZ’s 4th oldest. It is one of the largest at 2100 ha. Rated by DOC as one of the top ten coastal marine biodiversity hotspots. No dumping of waste and no fishing are allowed.
DOC is responsible for day-to-day management. A committee operated 1993-2010, and the current management plan is ten years out of date, because it was not renewed in 2007.
The voluntary no-trawl agreement has lapsed, and a DOC patrol boat no longer based at Kāpiti Island is limiting CLE capacity.
Threats to the Kāpiti reserve are: oil spills, sediment and run-off, illegal fishing, marine litter/plastic, lost fishing gear, invasive species, climate change, ocean acidification, and poor management.
On Facebook, join the Guardians of the Kāpiti Marine Reserve group
Friends of Taupō Swamp and Catchment
Presented by Trevor Thompson (QEII National Trust) and Bill McAuley (Friends of Taupō Swamp and Catchment)
QEII National Trust works in partnership with land-owners who have sites of national interest on their land, by adding covenants so they are legally protected on the title (e.g. forests, archæological sites). Some land is owned by QEII National Trust on behalf of New Zealanders. Nationally, there are 4476 covenants, protecting 184,211 hectares. Porirua district has 56 covenants. Taupō Swamp was originally an estuary and is the largest area of harakeke (flax) swamp in the Lower North Island. Drier areas also have toetoe, ferns and native trees. Several species of kokopu, longfin eel, inanga, redfin bully, koura, freshwater shrimp, and native birds.
Bill: with Mike Jebson (CEO, QEII National Trust) and Jenny Brash (GWRC), aim to set up a residents driven “Friends” community group, to focus on the entire catchment, not just the swamp. This is still in the early stages.
There are many stakeholders: QEII National Trust, PCC, GWRC, private land-owners, developers of the future Plimmerton Farm subdivision, KiwiRail, NZTA, Ngāti Toa, Residents’ Associations of both Pukerua Bay and Plimmerton, Pest-free organisations, Forest & Bird, and the Ulirch Street industrial area business owners.
Goals: protection, advocacy and lobbying, restoration, monitoring, recreation, engagement.
Questions:
How do we make contact?
Close to the point of setting up contacts and social media. Still setting up the incorporated society.
What is the vision for enabling tourism/access to the swamp?
Having fought hard to get the swamp from “significant” to “outstanding” status with GWRC, it becomes hard to make any modifications; that said, it should be possible to create a board-walk, similar to the Pauatahanui wetland.
Is there a permanent population of bittern in the swamp?
Probably not, only transitory.
General Business
Sustainable coastlines
Presented by Ben Knight.
Sustainable coastlines runs beach clean-ups, and has chosen Pukerua Bay to run a clean-up on 24 November, sponsored by Kanthmandu who put on free lunch and help run the event.
Also would like to run surveys of 100 m of coastline, and run a workshop around doing this; to engage locals in some citizen science.
Calendar
Presented by Brian Sullivan.
The new 2019 calendar “Our people, our place” contains all sorts of living treasures in Pukerua Bay (as well as some dead ones…). Including the enterprising young fellow who helped design and build one of the first skate parks in New Zealand.
This year it is $18, funds go to the Residents’ Association; orders will be available from the website in the next few days.
Election of committee members
New committee members: Nikki Winchester and Mel Galletly
Resignations: Beccy Davis and Guy Marriage
Motion: to accept change in committee members (election not required). Moved Paul FitzGerald, second Pauline Morse. None opposed, motion carried.
Conclusion
Thanks to all the guest speakers tonight, and to Mainfreight for the tucker.
Meeting concluded: 9.23 pm