Tree trimming to prevent power blackouts

/ / Road safety

Starting next Sunday night (9 July), the New Zealand Transport Agency and Porirua City Council will be trimming vegetation along State Highway 1 to clear power lines. This work will go on for eight nights, and also includes some other maintenance and road safety work. It follows the power cut from three weeks ago, which was caused by trees growing through the lines.

They’ve provided the following information for Pukerua Bay residents. …

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Tree trimming to prevent power blackouts Read More »

Garden holly oak shelter belt started

/ / Community Garden, Working Bees /

We planted 30 trees today, mostly tagasaste, which fixes nitrogen and helps to improve the soil, and can later be be coppiced for firewood and sacrificial mulch. It will serve to shelter the holly oaks while they get established to form the main long-term shelter. We even managed to sneak some lavender amongst proceedings too. Many thanks to everyone who turned up to help!

Tagasaste and holly oak.
Holly oak shelter belt.
Lavender.

Garden holly oak shelter belt started Read More »

Food forest garden Queen’s birthday working bee

/ / Community Garden, Working Bees

To celebrate Her Royal Majesty’s birthday, let’s build a compost station and some raised beds after lunch on Monday.  Kick-off at 1pm on Monday 5 June (more event details here), and subject to availability we can get a few tree and nursery species in the ground too.

Things we need

  • Used pallets (7 initially)
  • Some sleeper timbers
  • Lengths of driftwood from the beach
  • Plants. Currently, donations will be gratefully accepted of the following trees and shrubs for the nursery and beginning shelter layers: tagasaste (Cytisus proliferus), holly oak (Quercus ilex), common lavender (Lavendula augustifola), and feijoa (any good variety).

It might be a bit wet to try to get a shed in place on the back of a truck, but Malcolm from PCC is keen to get the water tank sorted soon.

If you are interested in participating in the community food forest garden project, please contact Jonathan at the Residents’ Association through the Contact Us page with your email address and/or a contact phone number, so we can keep a mailing/phone list of interested folks. For instance, one of the first things we need to figure out is the best way to facilitate discussion and coordinate resources and tasks between working bees, whether that be email, Facebook, this website, a wiki, smoke signals, or some other method.

Allotment beds at Innermost Gardens, Wellington.

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Train station and heritage sign opening day photos

/ / Event, He Ara Pukerua, History /

It was almost a day for hats and umbrellas last Saturday, but the rain was kind and merely washed the station so Ngāti Toa Kaumata Taku Parai could bless the new Pukerua Bay station building and the He Ara Pukerua heritage sign. Greater Wellington Regional Councillors Jenny Brash and Barbara Donaldson cut ribbons to formally open the station, and Porirua Mayor Mike Tana unveiled the He Ara Pukerua sign, which is the first to mark a Pukerua Bay heritage site. 27 May 2017 will also be remembered as the day well-known Pukerua Bay resident Ray Brown sang his song “Pukerua Bay” which he composed in 1958.

He Ara Pukerua is the name of the Pukerua heritage project, and recognizes the many tracks which are part of Pukerua Bay’s history. There are many other places of interest in the history of Pukerua Bay and the Heritage Group is seeking contributions or memorabilia towards recording them.

If you would like to share your memories please contact Margaret Blair on 021 1373 263, or email pukeruaheritage@gmail.com

Photography © 2017 Ivor Earp-Jones.

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Muri Road safety improvements — community feedback wanted

/ / Consultation, Road safety

Pukerua Bay Residents Association is working with Muri Road residents and Porirua City Council to improve aspects of road and pedestrian safety along Muri Road.

We’re after feedback by the end of the first week in June before 28 May.

In early 2016, we asked Muri Road residents to take part in a survey on how Muri Road could be made safer for everyone.

They told us that they wanted lighting along the road improved, some form of footpath and to reduce the speed of cars using the road.

With this information we put in a successful bid to the Council for funding to undertake a village planning project for 2016/17 to make changes that would improve road and pedestrian safety.

This document outlines proposed work to improve lighting, walkability and the speed of cars along Muri Road. It also outlines some opportunities for other work that could be done at the same time.

Please study this document and provide any feedback on this form by the end of the first week in June before 28 May.

It can be dropped into the letterbox at 84 Muri Road or dropped back to the Council’s Village Planning Team at the main administration building in Cobham Court.

Feel free to discuss this project with us (Iain MacLean 027 420 3056, iain@maclean.name or Pauline Morse 239 9838) or with the Council’s Village Planning team who can be contacted through the main Council number 237-5089.

Your feedback will be incorporated into development of the final plan and we will be in touch to outline the next steps. …

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Muri Road safety improvements — community feedback wanted Read More »