Kia ora e te whānau. Well, it’s the time of year where you mow the grass, turn your back for a minute and it shoots up so you have to mow it again. On the other hand veges are coming up nicely in the garden too.
In case you missed it, there was a General Election. We have a new MP in this area: Terisa Ngobi, for Labour.
Read on in this newsletter for details of the Waikawa Beach Summer Activities, open to all at the beach.
Beware burglars: there have been more reports of thefts and burglaries from this area. Talk to your neighbours and keep an eye out for suspicious activity. Lock up your stuff. If you have concerns call the Police.
Handy phrase for the month: Kua tae mai ngā kūaka. (The godwits have arrived.)
Horowhenua District Council has recently adopted two more Community Plans — for Ōhau and Manakau:
A Community Plan is the voice of that community and will highlight their goals and aspirations. It will outline what the community wants to preserve in their area and outline ways to enhance and develop other areas of importance.
Council has formally adopted the Waitārere Beach, Ōhau and Manakau Community Plans. These plans were developed based on extensive engagement with the community and set out the vision, values, priorities and actions of each community.
Ōhau’s plan includes things like fresh water, beach access, recreational pathways and a community group, such as a Progressive Association. There is concern too about roads, travel and transport.
Manakau’s plan makes mention of their strong links with Waikawa Beach. Again, the plan includes things like fresh water, recreational pathways and issues around roads, travel and transport.
Both plans are worth a look, and provide foood for thought about a possible Waikawa Beach community plan. What things do we value?
Consultation has begun on a proposal to change the designation of 420 hectares of land zoned for lifestyle blocks to make way for the most significant residential development in the history of the district.
The development, Taraika, is proposed for the southeast side of Levin and will become home to around 5,000 people living in approximately 2,500 homes. The development will have parks, reserves, a local shopping centre, a primary school, stormwater retention areas, and several roads and a shared pathway to ensure Taraika is an integral part of Levin. …
The submission process runs from Monday 16 November 2020 through to 5pm on Monday 1 February 2021. You can find out more about the submission by visiting horowhenua.govt.nz/PPC4 or by picking up a copy from Council’s Office on Oxford Street in Levin, or any Council Library in Levin, Foxton and Shannon.
There will be stop/go temporary traffic management in place on the day(s) when the larger parts of the trees are coming down.
This may well cause delays so leave extra time to get to appointments on Monday and Tuesday.
Electra have assessed some Radiata Pine trees growing near 676 Waikawa Beach Road and found them to be dangerous:
During these inspections our senior arborist staff discovered there were some faults with the trees that could cause their partial failure resulting in parts of the trees coming to ground.
… taking into account the risk to public safety and probable damage to Electra’s overhead electricity network suppling the beach community, … Electra [will] remove them.
The proposed date for the works is November 23rd and 24th [2020], weather and unforeseen circumstance permitting.
We don’t have any further details at the moment, but it would be reasonable to expect that road access into and out of the village could be delayed or blocked for a while so the work can be done.
Ōtaki’s new woman in Parliament, Terisa Ngobi, is still buzzing from her shock victory on election night, which has set a few precedents.
She said she believes she is “the first Pasifika person, and of course the first Pasifika woman, and the first person/woman of colour to represent Ōtaki in Wellington”. …
Big issues for her over the coming years are the expressway and the Capital Connection.
“I have travelled to and from Wellington for 16 years. I have used the train a lot and driven the road. I know how bad the road is and the train service should be much more frequent.
“I am really excited that the Provincial Growth Fund had brought a lot of green jobs to our areas.”
She said she is keen to explore more environmentally positive initiatives.
“We must protect the environment and there are a few good initiatives in our electorate happening, such as one that is looking at ways to recycle plastics.”
Other issues that have her attention are housing, jobs, and healthcare, especially outpatient care, and the electrification of the rail track all the way to Palmerston North. …
She is Levin-born and bred and simply loves living here. And it is her passion for her town, her district and its possibilities that drive her to improve on what we have. She’s planning to regularly inform her electorate about what is going on, including via columns in the Horowhenua Chronicle.
Burning waste can be hazardous to health & the environment, & should be your last option for disposing of waste. If you do have to burn it, please note that no offensive smoke or odour should cross property boundaries, & smoke must not affect visibility on roads or for aircraft.
and:
It’s also a good idea to check with @FireEmergencyNZ to find out if you require a permit. For more information, including what you can and can’t burn, head to http://bit.ly/open-burn-rules.
