November 2014 Newsletter

WAIKAWA BEACH RATEPAYERS ASSOCIATION

NOVEMBER 2014 NEWSLETTER

Greetings all

Another summer holiday season is nearly upon us and the whitebait season is about to close. The weekends are getting noticeably busier the closer we get to the end of the year. There are HUGE changes to the river, thanks to the contributions of wind and some heavy rain.

We hope to have the recycling truck again this year, details in next newsletter. Would all property owners please ensure they have a HDC recycling bin, especially if you are renting your property over the busy holiday period.

Annual subs are due. These subs cover things like fun days, the hard rubbish collection, defibrillator, maintenance at the reserve and the entrance to the beach settlement. We also donate annually to the PN helicopter rescue. The fee of $25 can be paid with a cheque sent to:

E White

PO Box 30309

LOWER HUTT 5040

or you can pay over the internet to our account: 03 0667 0268929 000

Please remember to put your name and or beach address so we know who has paid.

Some of you may have stopped receiving newsletters in the middle of this year. This is because our computer program only sends newsletters out to financial members. You are receiving it now as we are in to a new financial year.

Competitive Trail Riding

Ever wondered why once a year the beach seems to have a lot of horses on it? The numbered vests are a clue that it’s a horse riding competition. Competitive Trail Riding is like the laid back version of endurance. The riders do 20km, 30km or 40km of a marked course in a set time. When they cross the finish line a vet takes the horses’ heart rate and again 20 minutes later. Time penalties are added if you are late and twice as many if you are early. These scores are added to the 2 heart rates. Lowest score wins. People come from miles away to enter and for a lot of them it’s a rare chance to ride on a beach. This year, on Sunday 16th November, we had 62 horses brave the windy conditions.

Your committee met last weekend and the dates for the family fun days will be as follows

AGM	Sat 27 Dec 3pm	Hank Edwards Reserve
BOAT DAY	Sun 28 Dec 2.30pm	Back up Monday 29th
GOLF	Tue 30 Dec 10am	Otaki Golf Club — 18 holes
FUN DAY	Thu 1 Jan 3pm	Hank Edwards Reserve
AMBROSE	Fri 2 Jan 10am	Prizegiving: see below
BOWLS	Sun 11 Jan 2.30pm	Manakau Bowling Club
SANDSCULPTURE	Sun 18 Jan	Judging at 4pm
BEACH CLEANUP	Sun 18 Jan

This year on Boat Day we will hold a race for homemade rafts — no rules other than no engines allowed. We will also hold a backward boat race.

Ambrose Golf Tournament: Young and Old — Golfers and Non-Golfers. Cost $22 per player (Discounts for Levin Golf Club Members and players under 16 years)

Please report by 9.30am First Tee off 10am.

Prize Giving and Refreshments to follow at: 6 Norna Grove, Waikawa Beach

To register, please contact: Ngaire Hunter on 3626007 or 021 1321208

18 Hole Golf Tournament: Contact by either 063626926 or e-mail john.hewitson@xtra.co.nz To be there by 10-30am to register for 11-00am start.

Double Wammy For Waikawa Beach Ratepayers

First we were told about 14 months ago that some parts of the settlement would be inundated by the sea in the next 100 years.

And last month Waikawa residents found out that the council was proposing to change the method of assessing rates from using an undeveloped land value to a capital value. These two events must cause concern to many Waikawa ratepayers.

At a public meeting last year, Tony Thomas from HDC assured us that no final decision had been made on what would happen to HDC issued LIM reports, pending a decision in a case then before the court on a similar matter at Kapiti. It subsequently transpired that the court in the Kapiti decision was critical of the local council in the way it had dumped information about the coastal hazards into LIM reports, which would seriously affect the value and marketability of those properties. It added that it would be a callous council indeed that was unmindful of that impact and that many of the important conditions and assumptions were not obvious in the photos or diagrams. It also noted that the council had failed in its duty of care to adopt the legal requirements, to have an open mind, especially in not stating that the report was open to scientific challenge.

However a recently purchased LIM for a property at Waikawa included reference to the report and included detailed maps/photos of the inundation zone. The ratepayer had never been informed of the council intention to include parts of the report in the LIM nor given the opportunity to dispute what some may call a political myth or fairy tale and highlights an example of decision making by staff rather than elected officers.

Many have assumed that a LIM report would contain a factual description of the land and the buildings on it and not predictions of 100 years into the future based on dubious scientific theory.

An identified property may not be worth anything if it cannot be sold. Will the rates then reduce to zero? The contents a LIM report probably should also be communicated to the property insurers who may refuse reinsurance or may go the practical way and say myths and fairy tales predicting the future are of no interest to them.

Horizons Council paid for the Tonkin and Taylor report presumably from rates income. This firm was not only criticized in Kapiti but also in New Brighton because of the methodology used. It will be interesting to see if Horizons or Horowhenua District Council are prepared to pay for another report which could have contrary views.

Maybe affected Waikawa ratepayers should seek the services of a clairvoyant to produce a report and this should also be included in LIM reports.

The big winners of the proposed rating changes are Levin ratepayers at the expense of Waikawa ratepayers, some of who will experience rate rises of over $500 and for what. Frequent power cuts, services such as swimming pools and libraries that most do not use, inferior beach access, a village overrun by rabbits, no storm water drains and we haven’t heard yet what surprise Horizons Council are planning for us. The forthcoming AGM could be a lively meeting.

If you received this newsletter by post, and you have access to email, please forward your email address to: wbra.committee@gmail.com

A great big thank you to all the people who contributed to this newsletter.

Julie Stichbury