INLET GUARDIANS LOOK FORWARD TO ANOTHER BUSY YEAR
Chair John Wells of Whitby, in presenting his annual report to the Annual General Meeting of the Guardians of Pauatahanui Inlet on June 29 in the Brady Room, Whitby, highlighted one of the central events of the past twelve months. That was the adoption by Porirua City Council in its LTCCP of the new strategic focus, 'Healthy Harbour, Inlet and Waterways’.
He warmly welcomed to the meeting Porirua's Mayor Jenny Brash and Matt Trlin, from the Council's Environmental Policy Group, who were present to speak on 'Protecting the Inlet—the Council's Role'.
Referring to other key events, John Wells thanked committee members for their efforts in organising ongoing stream monitoring, which in the hands of Alastair and Mary Harray now extended to seven sites on four streams feeding the inlet, and for completing a supplementary cockle count to follow up results in the 2004 exercise, which had suggested an increase in juveniles in some parts of the inlet.
The February photo competition, he noted, had been an outstanding success with increased numbers of entrants and photos, and good support for a range of local sponsors. He thanked the organising team of Ken Rae, Miles Deck and Alastair Harray. The Guardians now had an extensive library of photos showing the creative skills of residents over several years, but also recording ongoing changes in the inlet's special environment.
John Wells noted the progress being made on the northern shore with the inlet pathway. Because the next stage towards Pauatahanui village would be through an environmentally sensitive area the society would be monitoring those developments carefully.
Mayor Jenny Brash, supported later by Matt Trlin, spoke to a Powerpoint presentation which traced developments from the setting up of a Pauatahanui Inlet Advisory Group in 1999, through development of a Pauatahanui Inlet Action Plan in 2000 and an Interagency Group, which led to the setting up in 2002 of the Pauatahanui Inlet Community Trust. This body is now charged with facilitating implementation of the Action Plan and the coordination of the various councils and agencies.
An initial floating of Council funding for inlet improvements in 2000 had not been pursued in planning developments in 2004, said Mayor Brash, but later, significantly as a result of support in the City Action Forums, 'Development of an integrated catchment plan for Porirua harbour and its catchment' had emerged as a major focus area for the Porirua community at large. In drafting the present 2006–16 LTCCP this initiative, she said, was supported right across the Council.
Matt Trlin, invited to complete the presentation, outlined achievements in monitoring and policy development for inlet and harbour over the decade previous to the current LTCCP. He noted increasing involvement of the Council and PICT with Wellington City Council because of developments in the catchment south of the harbour.
His commentary on the LTCCP table of resourcing provisions over the next decade indicated a focus in the 2006–7 year on the Ngati Toa Domain foreshore, a sole and fragile remnant of dune country within the borough. From mid-2007 to mid-2009 there would be, he said, significant provision for appointment of a resource person to coordinate Council policy and its contacts with the community and with relevant authorities, as studies were carried out or commissioned by the Council on the feasibility of harbour remedial and preservation projects.
That appointment was supported by indicative figures suggesting later investment of more than $1milllion through two financial years from mid-2010 on 'in-harbour improvements'. He noted that having this plan may provide a base for accessing additional funding through sources such as the Ministry for the Environment, Department of Conservation and the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.
Comments from the floor suggested the need for research on the bar beyond the harbour entrance, and the need for GOPI to be active in the lead-up in 2009 to the rewriting of the next triennial component of the LTCCP. John Wells, in thanking the speakers, said they had provided a comprehensive survey, and the hard copy Powerpoint resource distributed to the meeting would be closely studied by all GOPI members present.
In closing the meeting, John Wells acknowledged the accessibility of the Council's officers to the society, but indicated his concern lest funding for an Inlet Action Plan be diluted for the new whole harbour focus. In conclusion he stressed that the community, and GOPI, wished to be involved early in the planning processes to be unrolled in stages over the next decade.
During the meeting the following officers and committee were elected for 2006–7. Chairperson: John Wells; Treasurer: Barry Turfrey; Secretary: Ken Rae; Committee: Alastair Harray, Miles Deck, Tony Shaw, Susan-Jane Owen, Janet Ryan and Priscilla Isaacs.
A vote of thanks moved by Alastair Harray to the Chair, John Wells, for his professionalism and leadership of the committee through a busy year, and to Ken Rae who had stepped up to the secretary's role in mid-year, was carried by acclamation.
The new committee meets for the first time on Thursday July 13. As an initial task it will be appointing a working group to prepare for another successful photo competition in 2007.
Ken Rae
Publicity Officer, GOPI.
Photo Competition Coordinator
4a Paua Place
Plimmerton
233 9614
ken.rae@xtra.co.nz
