Have your say on the updated parking scheme proposal for Berhampore and Newtown, submissions close on Monday 19th February at 1pm.
Community feedback has already resulted in significant proposed changes to the planned scheme. These include:
the time-restricted parking spaces would be P180 instead of P120 – so people can park for up to three hours (8am to 8pm) instead of two, without a residents parking permit
this will mean people will be able to park in the P180 spaces any time after 5pm and stay until 11am
the P180 time limit would apply Monday to Friday only, instead of seven days – so people will be able to park where they want for as long as they want on weekends.
It’s proposed most residential streets in Newtown and Berhampore will have a mix of free parking where anyone can park for as long as they want (unrestricted), and time-limited three-hour parking. Residents with a permit will be exempt from the P180 time limit and able to park for longer in these spaces.
Join the Big Dive and Snorkel event for Taputeranga Marine Reserve!
Celebrate a pāua-full 15 years of Taputeranga Marine Reserve and join them for the Big Dive, their annual celebration of the reserve and fundraising event. Thanks to their sponsors they have over 900 NZD in prizes to win this year! You can get raffle tickets (10$) from Oceanhunter, Dive Wellington and Dive HQ shops before the event, or email them directly via enquiries@taputeranga.org.nz or buy a ticket on the day.
All funds raised will support the work of the Friends of Taputeranga Marine Reserve Trust – their annual 1,000 NZD postgraduate scholarship, the upkeep of the Island Bay Snorkel Trail and our outreach and education activities!
Join them for a fun afternoon at Princess Bay and explore Taputeranga Marine Reserve. All snorkelers and certified divers can take a splash for the reserve and if you don’t want to get wet you can explore the reserve with our 360 virtual tour on the Trust’s VR headset.
You don’t need to get wet to experience Taputeranga Marine Reserve! Come along and take a dive on our virtual reality headsets, join the BBQ and celebrate with a birthday cake.
Join them at Princess Bay on the 28 January 2024
12.30pm Registration – $10 cash koha
1:30pm Briefing
3:30pm BBQ, cake, last chance to get your raffle ticket ($10 each) before the prize draw!
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St Hilda’s is proud to be able to offer this 95% of participants would recommend it to others, and 80% say it has helped improve their finances. We have run 5 courses already in Island Bay with extremely good feedback. Our next course starts on Monday October 30th at 7.30pm at St Hilda’s, and continues on the 6th and 13th November. This will be the last course this year. Each session is about 90 minutes long with refreshments part way through the evening. It is entirely free. To enrol or more information call or text 0221 392005, or contact St Hilda’s office officeislandbayanglican@gmail.com or go to the CAP website (www.capnz.org), Note: places are limited and all the courses so far have been pretty full so don’t leave it until the last moment!
The IB Presbyterian Church is curating the festival which runs this weekend, celebrating local hero Kae Miller. Head to their website or Facebook page for up-to-date details:
Kae wore many hats: The Tip Lady of Porirua”. . .Smuggler of Jews out of Nazi Germany. . .Eccentric. . .Visionary. . .Hero of compassion “Terrible cook”!. . .Eco-warrior. . .Wellingtonian . . .Anglican mystic A woman who noticed the brokenness around her and sought to do something about it. Always seeking “the transfiguration of all things…
Kae Miller’s activism was both compassionate and bold, in many cases decades ahead of its time, most notably when she lived on the Porirua Tip in the 1970s to draw attention to the lack of recycling in New Zealand. She helped Jewish refugees escape Nazi Germany and sought to create spaces and housing for people with mental struggles. What can we learn from this extraordinary life, and what action might we take now on the great challenges of our day ?
The festival runs over this coming weekend with many activities to keep you entertained:
“Fri 27 Oct Interspecies Fungus Sound Experience! [concert] 7.30pm Island Bay Bowling Club, 276 The Parade. Composed and performed by Island Bay’s own Interspecies Fungus Trio.
Sat 28 Oct Seaweed in the Kitchen & Garden 9.30 – 10.30am Celebrate seaweed! By Wendy Nelson. Learn about their amazing uses in kitchen and garden. 88 The Parade, Island Bay Presbyterian Centre.
Sat 28 Oct Sustainable colouration methods 2 – 3.30pm Natural dyeing techniques with plants endemic to Aotearoa. By Angela Kilford. 88 The Parade, Island Bay Presbyterian Centre.
Sat 28 Oct Zero-waste Gift making 10am – 4pm drop in Upcycle waste into great gifts. All materials provided or byo item. 88 The Parade, Island Bay Presbyterian Centre.
Sat 28 Oct Kae for kids! 2pm “The Tip and the Tent”. Build mini shelters together and hear how Kae lived. 88 The Parade, Island Bay Presbyterian Centre.
Sat 28 Oct “Jazz for Kae’s Compassion” 7.30pm Ian logan and Alistair McLeod – original composition & tribute in jazz to musicians and artists persecuted in 1930’s Europe. 88 The Parade, Island Bay Presbyterian Centre.
Sunday 29 Oct Retreat at Te Raekaihau Reserve, 10-12 or 1-3pm. At Alice Krebs Lodge, 113 View Rd. Bring your journal, enjoy reflection, silence or wandering the nature reserve. Contact office@ibpc.org.nz
Sunday 29 Oct Symposium: Compassion 7-8.30pm Home of Compassion chapel, Island Bay. Kae Miller’s story: Panel + Q &A, led by Max Rashbrooke.
HAVE YOUR SAY – Submission deadline is Wednesday 18th October by 5pm
The policy was last reviewed in 2016/2017, this update contains lots of suggestions and anyone can provide feedback on these, irrespective of whether you own animals.
Of particular relevance is the proposal to change dog access on Island Bay beach – moving the dog off-leash area from the west side to the East side with restricted access during summer months.
Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon and Paul Andrews, Manager Parks, Sport and Recreation, came to our committee meeting on 11th October – listen to the discussion around this proposal here, which explains in detail why this was put forward. Full minutes of this meeting can be found in the library on website.
Response to questions submitted to WCC about this proposal:
What are the currents like at the beach? Rips/stronger currents at the western end make this more dangerous for swimming. Noting also where the platform is. For information on currents, GWRC may be a valuable resource. It’s important to clarify that the proposal doesn’t suggest any restrictions on where people can or cannot swim.
Birds nesting at the eastern end – what is there and what impact will this change have? Are there any penguins at that end? Penguin nest boxes below in blue and natural nests found in the 2021 Dog Survey in Red below, there is no indication of increased risk to birds nesting on the eastern side from the proposed switch. More viable habitat is offered by the dunes though wildlife can often be unpredictable.
What is the evidence that the dogs are the problem in relation to the dunes as opposed to tidal impacts etc? Do you have studies from other beaches that show a benefit? In particular, any studies done at Lyall bay? To date, no studies have been undertaken to definitively establish the extent to which dogs affect the area compared to tidal impacts, and we acknowledge that multiple variables are at play. Nonetheless, it is observed that dogs do enter the dunes, despite clear prohibitions in place. This is substantiated by reports of dog faeces found on the dunes, as reported by members of the community. Additionally, further damage occurs when well-meaning dog owners try to retrieve their dogs from the dune area.
Also, this must have come up as an issue in the preparation of the new proposal, who raised it? This has come up from members of the community and the restoration group. It was one of the first issues that was bought to (my) Cr. Foon’s attention as a new councillor. As we renew the dog policy every 6 years, it was the opportunity to raise it as an issue that we need to look at/ discuss// change with the community. Understanding that protecting native plants, help protect our dunes, to protect our infrastructure is what is at the heart of this proposal. From DOC on Coastal management principals – New Zealand should seek to protect representative, rare and special marine ecosystems perpetuity within the marine coastal area.From Coastal Restoration Trust – great info and video’s on why we need dune restoration.
Calling all you community-minded folk – we are recruiting to our committee, nominations open until 25th October.
Check out a message from Sheila, the current chair, in our September email update about the role of the association, what we have been doing and what we would like to achieve in the future.
So, come along and join us for our monthly meetings and community activities to help connect and grow the strength of our community. As we like to say, a connected community is a strong community!
islandbay.org 