During the campaign, I talked about the importance of increased transparency and accountability for the Board. To that end, it was my pledge to write a monthly report to keep you updated on important projects and some of the things I have been working on.
Thank you
First and foremost, thank you for entrusting me with one of your four votes for the Bays Local Board. I am so very grateful to have the privilege of representing our amazing community in the Bays – from Okura down to Campbells Bay. I am truly humbled, and I intend to spend the next three years working hard for you and delivering the very best results for our community.
The new Local Board and its first meeting
The first official meeting of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board was held in October 2019. Members were officially sworn in and the agenda of the first meeting was largely just to appoint who would be the Chair and Deputy Chair for the three-year term.
You will see from the minutes that I moved two resolutions – both were lost. Gary Holmes, Bays subdivision, was unfortunately overseas so was unable to exercise any voting rights as he hadn’t been officially sworn in as a Member. Firstly, I proposed that the three-year term of Chair and Deputy be split (so that two people could each have the opportunity to lead as Chair or Deputy Chair for a year and a half each). I felt this was a good opportunity for a Board that had three experienced returning members, and five new members. This resolution was lost by one vote. The second time I moved a resolution was to propose Julia Parfitt as the Chair. Again, this was lost by one vote.
I supported Julia Parfitt (Bays subdivision) and Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus subdivision) as Chair and Deputy Chair, to give respect to the democratic process. Julia and Janet were the two highest polling people by a country mile (Hibiscus and Bays Local Board official polling results p8-9). Given their extremely high polling figures, I felt that people had voted for Julia and Janet to have leadership positions again.
It wasn’t to be, and I gave my congratulations and support to our new Chair and Deputy Chair. We are lucky to have three experienced members (Julia, Janet and Gary Holmes) who have a wealth of experience and knowledge to provide to all the new Board members.
Browns Bay beach water quality
In October, a health warning was put in place for Browns Bay beach. During routine sampling, there were elevated recordings of e.coli – some tests initially recorded levels in the millions.
Council and Watercare ended up uncovering multiple locations where private and public cracked wastewater pipes were infiltrating the stormwater system. The network system in Browns Bay is unique in two respects – the network system is placed very deep underground and secondly, wastewater pipes lie on top of the stormwater system so there is a greater risk of stormwater contamination. In North Shore City Council days, wastewater and stormwater pipes had scheduled, routine checks as opposed to the current situation where we wait for water testing at the beach to tell us that there is a problem in the network somewhere. This ‘ambulance at the bottom of the cliff’ is a poor approach to ensuring our beaches are safe and clean, that our community is safe from harm, and is a poor management approach to costly infrastructure.
When the testing came back positive for e.coli at the beach outlet, public health warning signs were placed at the stormwater outlet at the northern end of the beach, and the Safeswim website and digital sign at the playground were displaying ‘no swim’ messages. I witnessed numerous people, including children, still swimming in the water, completely unaware of the risks due to insufficient signage. I requested that signs be placed up immediately and was pleased that signs were rolled out across the beach later that day as a result.
Our beautiful beaches are so important for recreation and leisure and a drawcard for our towns and local businesses to thrive. I’ll continue to update the community on this and push for improved network monitoring and signage when issues do occur.
Glenvar Rd and East Coast Rd improvements
After significant pressure from the community, Julia Parfitt and our local MP Erica Stanford, a $45.6M upgrade to Glenvar Road is due to start in 2022. Locals will know that this upgrade to a dangerous stretch of road is long overdue.
Late last year Auckland Transport (AT) consulted with the community on the proposed improvements which included:
Traffic light intersections – one at Glenvar/ East Coast/ Lonely Track Roads, and another at Glamorgan Drive/ East Coast Road.
Footpaths – creation and widening of footpaths along the eastern/ southern side of Glenvar Road.
Safety measures – raised pedestrian crossings, new pedestrian crossing, planted kerb buildouts, and ‘slow’ road markings.
Cycle upgrades and amendments.
Transit lanes – down East Coast Road to the Northcross shops.
AT consulted on these proposals late last year and received 420 submissions. They will soon be publishing a summary of the feedback as well as responding to issues and questions that people raised. The next step is for AT to refine their proposal and submit a funding application to the NZTA for the funding that was earmarked in the Regional Land Transport Plan investment programme.
AT had a start date of early 2020, which has since been pushed out to 2022. This two-year delay is disappointing, and I intend to continue strongly advocating for an earlier start date. We cannot afford to compromise the safety of our road users and pedestrians any longer.
New community forums
One of the first things up for discussion as a new Board was how we can engage better with the community. We’ve set up Community Forums which happen once a month in either Orewa or Browns Bay. They’ve been popular and we’ve already heard from many locals and community groups. It’s been a great way for us to hear more about local issues of importance to you. If you would like to come and talk to the Board, please book a time with our Democracy Advisor.
At a glance
Julia and I recently spoke to SeniorNet North Shore about the role of Local Boards and hot issues in our community. We had a really useful discussion getting feedback from members about how Local Board’s can better engage with their community.
We also met with a large group of Okura residents, along with Police and Auckland Transport, to discuss speeding and safety issues along Okura River Road. We’ll all be meeting again in the coming months to discuss potential safety improvements.
The Board has directed funds toward safety improvements to the Mairangi Bay town centre (new raised pedestrian crossings and building out the kerbs to encourage slower speeds). Construction is expected to finish in late April.
We’ve heard your feedback about wanting a dog park in the Bays – Council staff are now investigating Deep Creek Reserve as a potential site and will present options to the Board soon. We will consult with the community before any decisions are made.
Penlink (the Board’s number one advocacy project) has been given the green light by the Government with construction hopefully to begin next year. Board members Janet Fitzgerald and Julia Parfitt have worked tirelessly for a long time to get this major infrastructure project off the ground – we’re nearly there!
$30,000 of small grants have been awarded in December. Three further grant rounds are coming up. Please email me if your community group would like more information on application dates and requirements.
You’ll also find monthly updates from Julia and I in the Torbay and Mairangi village newsletters, as well as occasionally in Shorelines. We’re committed to keeping our community informed about work the Board is undertaking.
Birdman jump for North Harbour Community Patrol
On a personal note and unrelated to the Local Board – In March, East Coast Bays Local MP Erica Stanford and I will be jumping at the Murrays Bay Wharf Birdman event to raise funds for North Harbour Community Patrol (NHCP). We have been volunteering for this Charitable Trust for six months now. NHCP works closely with the NZ Police and relies entirely on grants and the generosity of the community to keep our patrol car running.
We patrol areas of the North Shore region at the direction of Police, three nights a week (evening until the early hours). We have 37 volunteers ranging in age from 21 to 71.
Our patrollers know the Shore like the back of their hands with years of experience between them. They know where all the local ‘hot-spots’ are and proactive and caring toward the safety of others. When most of us are tucked up in bed, the NHCP volunteers are out on our streets looking for any suspicious activity or anything out of the ordinary. They identify stolen vehicles, patrol liquor ban areas and make sure our young people are having fun while keeping safe.
The North Shore is a huge area to cover – 37 suburbs from Okura to Northcote and out to Beach Haven and Albany. There are many business districts and hot-spots to cover in just one evenings patrol. It is really challenging to effectively patrol the large North Shore region with a single patrol car.
Please help sponsor our jump by making a donation to NHCP. Whether you give a little or give a lot… IT ALL GOES TOWARD AN AMAZING CAUSE. You will be supporting NHCP to continue patrolling and work towards purchasing a second vehicle.
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