WAIKAWA BEACH RATEPAYERS ASSOCIATION
NOVEMBER 2015 NEWSLETTER
Greetings all
Summer is nearly here, and there is a lot more activity on weekends now that the weather is warming up. The rain has changed the course of the river yet again but still lots of room for the white baiters who have apparently had a great season.
Road changes at Manakau
There has been a lot of work done on SH1 from Kapiti to Ohau. On Septermber 28 a group of concerned residents met with NZTA regarding the road changes at Manakau, too many of us to talk at the intersection so we moved to the Manakau hall.
There were supposed to be 3 officials from NZTA but David McGonigal, Central Highways Manager, was unwell and didn’t attend. So Mike Pilgrim (safety engineer) and Michael Flyger (Communications & Stakeholder Liaison Manager) addressed the meeting.
Unfortunately the two Mikes were ill prepared and seemed to have stock answers for our questions which were of very little help. They seemed obsessed with Sweden and their safety record. Most of us were left feeling dissatisfied with the meeting.
The 2 Mikes agreed to go away and find the answers to our questions. They asked that we wait until resealing was done and new lines painted on the road. After that would come to another meeting. It is noted that work has started resealing at Ohau so hopefully we will be next.
Recycling
The recycling truck will be at the park as usual on a Saturday morning over the holiday season. Day and times to be finalised.
Break-ins/vandalism
There have been some break-ins/vandalism in the last few weeks. Holiday home owners please get to know who your permanent resident neighbours are and give them your contact details so if there is a problem with a holiday bach we know who to contact.
The summer holiday fun day dates
Annual General Meeting Saturday Dec 26th at 3pm in the Hank Edwards reserve
Boat Day** Monday Dec 28th 11am at the footbridge Spare day — Tuesday Dec 29th at 11.30
18 Hole Golf Thursday Dec 31st meeting at Otaki Golf Club at 10.30 To ensure a place in the field those who wish to play must contact John Hewitson 3626926 or john.hewitson@xtra.co.nz
Sports Day** Friday January 1st at 2pm at Hank Edwards Reserve
Sand Sculpture Day Saturday January 2nd Judging at 2pm — west side of the river south of the bridge
Ambrose 9 hole Golf Day Sunday Jan 3rd meeting at club before 9.30 To ensure a place in the field those who wish to play must contact Ngaire on 021 132 1208
Lawn Bowls Day** Sunday Jan 24th at 1pm at Manakau Bowling Club ** sausage sizzle and drinks available for purchase
Boat Day
We will be holding a raft race on Boat Day. I hope you learned from watching last years’ rafts and are busy planning your raft for the day. There were only 3 rafts last year, hopefully we will have a few more competitors this summer
Hard rubbish
We plan to organise a hard rubbish truck pick up rubbish from the roadside. Date, time and cost to be finalised & I’ll put it in the next newsletter which will be before the school holidays begin.
Keep our river clean
There has been interest shown in forming a group to keep our river clean. Horizons tests the river weekly and a notice is posted on the noticeboard after each testing. If your dog poos on the bridge please remove it before it falls in to the river and adds to the pollution.
Fireworks
Please remember it is illegal to let off fireworks at any time other than around November 5th. I understand that some people think it is fun to spend their money on fireworks but it can have a traumatic effect on animals and causes fires
Over labour weekend a pup, on holiday here at the beach, was so terrified by fireworks he ran away dragging his lead and was lost for a night and a day. A very stressful time for the people involved, and of course, the dog. NZ laws cover the entire country, even Waikawa Beach. A couple of years ago a cat fled in terror and has never been seen again.
However If you insist on having fireworks please have the decency to notify your neighbours, especially those who have pets. It’s not only pets that are inconvenienced by fireworks – if they land on the roof they end up festering in water tanks.
Sack race contestants
Recycling
We are hoping HDC will supply us with a recycling truck over the holidays. We are still waiting for a starting date and times to be confirmed. They will be in the next newsletter.
Annual subs
Annual subs of $25 are now due. Please send your cheque to:
E White
PO Box 30309
Lower Hutt 5040
Or for internet banking our account number is: 03 0667 0268929 00
In both cases please include your name and beach address.
Newsletters and notices are sent to members by email so if you are not receiving these please let us know your email address
For weekenders who have a number of shareholders it is easy to include several email address
That’s all for now. I will have another newsletter before the holidays when we have confirmed some of the dates.
Julie Stichbury