Mar 23: Raglan Community Board meeting

These notes on the agenda for the Raglan Community Board meeting on 23rd March were prepared by John Lawson, Secretary of Whāingaroa Environmental Defence Inc., 51 Cliff St, Raglan, phone 07 825 7866 email johnragla@gmail.com

The next Board meeting is Wed 23 March at 1.30pm on Zoom. The public forum will be part of the formal meeting, giving the usual opportunity to discuss issues. You can also contact the Community Board members:- Chris Rayner, Dennis Amoore, Gabrielle Parson, Kiri Binnersley, Lisa Thomson, Satnam Bains and Tony Oosten.

Wednesday’s agenda continues to lack information, but includes –

1. Items removed from agenda Feb minutes include these –

• Camera Licensing Trust
• Raglan Aerodrome – December minutes said, “Once the [airfield] fencing was completed, a breakdown on the fencing costs would be provided to the Board”, but there is no information in the agenda and the fence is still being cut.
• Manu Bay Planting
• Soundsplash

2. Upper Bow Street angle parking “verbal update”
3. Wainui Shared Cycle Way (Rocket-Poihakena) begin mid April, completed by June.
4. Wi Neera Walkway [jetty-footbridge-heli pad] “looking to develop design options with Tonkin & Taylor.”
5. Papahua Walkway – finished 7 March.
6. Greenslade Footpath “vehicle barriers to be fabricated. Community planting day to be arranged for June”.
7. SH23 speed to be reduced to 60kph to 200m west of Greenslade. “The revocation point was determined to be the furthest easterly point as possible constrained by a significant culvert fix (>$2m) that would otherwise be left for WDC to rectify if the road was revoked past this point.” [9 crashes at Greenslade 2001-22]
8. Orca crossing safety improvements RCB asked to put in service request.
9. Parking signs “List [no detail] sent to Gareth Oct/Nov 2020. . . Not completed, no resources at present due to covid impacts.”
10. Rose St parking “Have no resources to undertake this work at present”.
11. Wharf Structural Repairs, Pontoons and Walkways request for tenders to be sent on 11 March. Still no detail of what for.
12. Government/Bayview Road Giveway sign “Mr Rayner to provide an update” [https://maphub.nzta.govt.nz/cas/ shows crashes in 2007, 2019 and 2021].
13. Cliff St “One-way streets are . . . in the existing public spaces bylaw . . . was a simple schedule change”.
14. Manu Bay Breakwater – Zoom forum workshop to be on 28, or 30 March.
15. Sewage 7 Wastewater Overflows are blocked pipes, not overflows.
16. Civil Defence “verbal update”
17. Local bus – “verbal update” Public transport business review workshop – no detail.
18. Raglan Naturally – “verbal update” “Community Led Development Team to work with Raglan Naturally to identify their priorities that are already mapped in the Blueprint Plan for Raglan and determine how they can progress their other priorities.”
19. Food waste consultation closes 1 April.
20. Eco Village Catch up with team no detail.
21. Covid-19 Mental Health Toolkit booklets Instagram to be set up.
22. Discretionary fund has $11,397.58.

These council items are not on RCB’s agenda –

WDC 28/2

Public excluded – Raglan Wastewater Treatment Plant Consent Application Preparation Project – Discharge Option.

Policy 22/3/2022

The Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021 came into force on 20 Dec. It requires WDC to notify an Intensification Planning Instrument (IPI) plan change by Aug to introduce Medium Density Residential Standards into all residential zones for towns above 5,000. In the case of the Waikato district, this definitely includes Tuakau, Pokeno, Huntly and Ngaruawahia – and probably Raglan and Te Kauwhata – they did not have the required population of 5000 as of 2018. However, the land supply in the Operative District Plan zoning as well as the Proposed District Plan decisions allows for greater than 10,000 population, consistent with Waikato 2070, and population projections indicate that there is sufficient demand for this to occur. Therefore the MDRS is likely to be required in these towns unless there are qualifying matters applied. It permits up to 3 houses, of up to 3 storeys (11m), anywhere in the zones without land use or subdivision consent.

Waters Governance Board 16/3/2022

• WSL is undertaking sediment and shellfish testing in the Harbour – Sampling completed – awaiting a report from T+T
• Raglan WW model – has been finalised with WDC population data and system performance analysis completed. We are awaiting updated data from Nero PS before progressing option development – public excluded – Raglan Wastewater Treatment Plant Consent Application Preparation Project – Discharge Option
• WDC Water Department Staff presented a paper to the ELT in Jan. This paper sought to inform the ELT of theoretical SDI potential within Wainui Reserve as part of a land discharge solution. Balanced feedback was received where it was identified that: public consultation on this opportunity would need to take place before WDC finalised its position
• The Te Ākau bore is currently out of commission due to failure of the bore pump. As a temporary solution, treated water is currently transported from Raglan by tanker – options – Rainwater tanks $580,000 (Includes filtration and UV treatment at each household); Bore reinstatement $540,000 ~$30,000pa; Tankered water $105,000 – 120,000pa; Piped water $3-6m – A drill length at over 1km required to drill from a potential allowable location in Raglan. Bore is 800 m from boat ramp.

Bus passengers dropped 50% in the last quarter of 2021. Maybe fewer passengers and less traffic explains why only 53% of buses are now over 5min late.

Other issues missing from the agenda are Greenslade Rd Neighbourhood Park, Cliff St footpath, Park Dr/Long St crossing, Places for People, Town Hall Committee, freedom camping, coastal erosion, unsealed roading, Climate Response Plan, parking, Energy Project, WRAP, stormwater, Town Hall Warrant of Fitness, Calvert Rd parking, Te Uku Recycling, Whāingaroa Catchment Management Plan, dog issues, Hills Rd water tower, volunteer worker safety, Puriri Park, weedbusters, Joyce Petchell and Puriri Park toilets to be wrapped with environment messaging. Should WED be taking up these or other issues?

Ngā mihi

John (he/him).