WAIKAWA BEACH RATEPAYERS ASSOCIATION
SUMMER HOLIDAY NEWSLETTER 2013/14
Festive greetings to you all
Recycling Truck
The manned Recycling Truck will be in the toilet block car park each Saturday morning from 9 – 11.30 starting Saturday 21st December until February 1st.
9am – 11.30 are the only times items that RECYCLING ONLY may be dropped off to the truck. No items to be left there at any other times, please.
AGM
Don’t forget the AGM at the reserve on 27th December at 3pm. We have invited a representative from the Horowhenua District Council to come and answer any questions from members. Cr Christine Mitchell has agreed to attend.
Please limit your speed
Please be safe these holidays and limit your speed on the beach to 30kph. Keep an eye out for pedestrians (human and animal) both on the beach and around the village. Children and wandering animals don’t always follow road rules.
Open fires are illegal at Waikawa Beach
Open fires are illegal at Waikawa Beach. This includes fireworks, braziers, bonfires and fires on the beach. Should you insist on lighting fires on the beach please extinguish completely with buckets of water before you leave. Covering a fire with sand does not extinguish it and it will smoulder for hours. Be aware that should the Rural Fire Brigade be called to a fire, whether necessary or not, the culprits are liable for any costs incurred in the call out.
Surprise Find in Water Tank
While Mr John Brown of the Ratepayer’s Association was inspecting the tanks which are the emergency supply in the event of a fire, he was surprised on two counts. First, that the tank at the beginning of the housing in Waikawa Beach Road was empty. The sign he was about to write that it was the emergency water supply was useless.
Second, that welcome swallows had attached a nest inside the tank and were raising a family there. The parents hovered round with food to feed their young as he watched.
He is concerned about filling the tank while the birds are in there, whose responsibility it is to fill the tank and whether it should be done after the chicks have fledged or not.
Kinsa Hays
Christmas lights
Great news! Wendy and Peter are busy putting up their Christmas lights again. They are having a spot of bother with some pesky elves but hope to have them all in working order soon. They will have a trial run on the weekend of 14/15th December. Presuming all goes well they will have the lights on from Friday 20th December until mid January.
The lights will be on from 8.30-midnight with the ‘music to lights’ from 9.30– 10.30 at 2 James Street (corner of James and Sarah Streets).
WBRA GOLF DAYS
If you wish to play golf — ambrose or 18 holes — you must pre-register. Contact details for these two events are:
18 hole golf teeing off from 11am on Tuesday 31st December at Otaki Golf Course — Contact John Hewitson on 3626 926 or john.hewitson@xtra.co.nz
9 hole ambrose fun day meeting at Levin Golf Club no later than 9.30am on Thursday 2nd January — Contact Ngaire Hunter 3626 007 or daisybond@vodafone.co.nz
Other WBRA organized events
Monday 30th December — LAWN BOWLS FAMILY FUN DAY at Manakau Bowling Club at 2pm. A BBQ will follow play. The bar will be open for drinks. Flat shoes must be worn so as not to harm the green
Wednesday 1st January — SPORTS DAY starting at 2pm in the reserve
Saturday 4th January — BOAT DAY in the river by the bridge at 11am
Saturday 11th January — SAND SCULPTURE DAY across the river. Judging at 3pm. Please remember sculptures MUST be made with things found ON THE BEACH not brought from home.
The river cut
Your WBRA committee has written to HORIZONS regarding the latest river cut. This is the letter, we await their reply.
At a recent meeting of our committee, questions were raised regarding the cut recently made to the river at the estuary of the Waikawa Stream.
We seek clarification of which authority controls the river. We believe that the cut is made under the authority of a resource consent issued by Horizons Regional Council. As a body representing ratepayers of the area we are concerned by the amounts of money spent on this work.
We have seen past attempts to change the river’s course by building extensive sand training walls only to witness their disappearance in the next spring tide. We witnessed last year the formation of a road cut through already established sand dunes when a slightly longer access may have been possible and saved the foreshore dunes. This year workers said when questioned about the cut that they did not think it was the best solution.
Our questions are: —
- Is the resource consent based on good scientific knowledge and research and is there a working model showing the present and future outcomes?
- Are local residents, some of who have lived in the area for many years, consulted?
- Is it true that some groups with little knowledge of the area have a big say on the work, such as not using concrete blocks to divert the river course?
- Who is responsible for the footbridge over the stream?
- Who is responsible for the notices displayed at two entrances to the beach?
- What are the current rules concerning vehicles and the speed and free roaming dogs on the beach both north and south of the stream?
- Is there any proposal to mark the boundary between your jurisdiction and the Greater Wellington Council jurisdiction on the beach south of Waikawa with a sign?
We look forward to your reply which may help to solve many questions asked by residents of the community.
Yours faithfully
John Brown
Honorary Secretary
We also wrote to HDC. Following are some of the questions and their answers:
Q: Long drain at front of changing shed to clear.
A: Contractors have been issued a work instruction to clean this drain and monitor regularly.
Q: “Men” and “Women” signs on changing shed have been removed.
A: These have been removed for refurbishment and will be back up by the middle of next week.
Q: Is there a spray that can be used on the Cape Daisy which is widespread on the reserve and road reserves.
A: Hank Edwards Reserve has been sprayed with around 95% kill, road reserves are not sprayed as there is no budget available. Cape Daisy is a district wide issue on road reserves, private and commercial properties. Cape Daisy is not classified as a pest plant.
Q: Trim tree which is blocking street signs and corner of Manga Pirau Street/Waikawa Beach Road.
A: This is a private tree and a “cut or trim” notice will be sent to the property owners as per council process. Giving the property owner opportunity to undertake the work before contractors are engaged at the property owners expense.
Q: Improve junction of Waikawa Beach Road/SH1 by
- Form a traffic island
- Increase the length of the feeder lane/acceleration lane north bound,
- Increase length of feeder lane southbound
- Footpath from dairy and another north from Waikawa Beach Road
- Reduce limit to 80 kph
A: This is an NZTA State Highway issue, however, I think that nearly all of these items are being covered by the RoNS.
Q: Reduce the present 100 kph limit to 80 kph from Takapau Road to 50 kph boundary above
A: Any look into speed limits should wait until after the conclusion of the current speed limit review being carried out as part of the Safer Speed Programme by NZTA. I don’t want to pre-empt the findings of this review but there is some indication that the appropriate speed limits for differing types of road may change.
We wish you a safe and happy holiday and look forward to seeing you all at the family fun days.
Once again many thanks to those who contributed to this newsletter
Julie Stichbury
NEWSLETTER — STOP PRESS
CHANGED DATE FOR AMBROSE
The date for the Ambrose Golf has been put back one day to Friday 03 January at Levin Golf Club commencing about 9.30am. This is a great day and an ideal way to introduce younger person to the game of golf. It is 9 holes. For details contact Ngaire Hunter 3626 007 or daisybond@vodafone.co.nz
REMINDER AGM
The AGM of the Association will be held at 3pm on Friday 27 December at the Hank Edwards Reserve. In addition to the normal business, Councillor Christine Mitchell (Horowhenua Distrct Council) and hopefully a representative from Horizons Regional Council will attend. This will give residents an opportunity to discuss the contents of the notice displayed on the beach Notice Board and our web site with reference to Coastal Inundation Hazards and Land Information Memoranda (LIM’s) and the state of the beach access.
The committee would also like to hear your views on the latest NZTA’s proposal for the intersection of Waikawa Beach Road and State Highway 1 which is also on our web page www.waikawabeach.org.nz
SUBSCRIPTIONS
You are reminded of your subscription if not already paid. $25 per year due 1 November. The easiest method is by internet banking to our bank account 03 0667 0268929 000 but please, please, put you beach address or name in the reference box or if you have trouble when paying at your bank because they will only accept numbers in the reference box send us an email to tell us the date that you have paid. Alternatively a cheque to E. White, PO Box 30309, Lower Hutt 5040 but also, as above, please include your beach address.
This newsletter is being sent to all email addresses that we have. It will only be posted to financial members. If you received this newsletter by post, and you have access to email, please forward your email address to: wbra.committee@gmail.com It is cheaper and less time consuming and you will get colour pictures.
Some old photos to fill the page supplied by past Secretary Erica Wyatt.
