VOLUNTEERS WELCOME AT INLET CLEAN UP DRIVE
The Guardians of Pauatahanui Inlet, Keep Porirua Beautiful, and Plimmerton Rotary are combining once again in 2006 for the annual Inlet Clean Up. Families from the communities around the Inlet are invited to meet at Brown's Bay at 10.30 am on Sunday 29 October, to be briefed and equipped with rubbish bags for restoring the margins of the Inlet to good order.
'With a response like last year's,' says John Wells, Chair of GOPI, 'the job will be done in just ninety minutes - and the hard work will once again be rewarded by a barbecue back at Brown's Bay, a time for good fellowship and the swapping of yarns after a job well done.'
'A wonderful turn-out last year saw three truckloads despatched after only ninety minutes' work by the shoreline teams, with family groups of old and young taking part. So please put Sunday 29 October and 10.30 in your diary now.'
The Guardians of Pauatahanui Inlet will provide a further opportunity for commmunity participation next February-March with their 2007 Inlet Photographic Competition. At their October committee meeting they were delighted to learn that they have the backing of Porirua City Council with a donation of $720 from the Council's Creative Communities Fund.
Their fourth round of stream monitoring for 2006 is about to get under way, with the results to be reported to Greater Wellington. Small teams of community volunteers have for three years kept watch on the streams flowing into the Inlet, and a training day will be held during November by the convenors, Alastair and Mary Harray, at their home at Motukaraka. New monitors are always welcome and Alastair may be contacted at 233-6488.
GOPI representatives have also of recent months been heavily involved in a series of representations to local bodies, in these times of expanding community consultation on local development and investment of the communities' funds. Chair John Wells has in a personal capacity accepted membership of a Porirua City Council's City Wellbeing Advisory Group, which will be monitoring progress on objectives outlined in the Council's recently adopted LTCCP.
The committee has noted that the newly-released Wellington Regional Strategy document for regional growth considers Pauatahanui a strategic 'Change Area', given the potential completion of Transmission Gully, with development pressures likely to impact on ecological values. John Wells is to express GOPI's concern that those ecological values continue to receive full consideration.
John Wells and Secretary Ken Rae represented GOPI at a meeting of the new structure, Porirua City Heritage, at Pataka on October 11. Porirua City Heritage is charged with drawing up a register of the city's heritage sites. Their message was that the Inlet is a valued part of our heritage, for ecological as well as historical reasons.
At its next meeting in November the Committee will brief itself on the recent Coastal Policy Statement of the Minister of Conservation, and will also have available to it the newly published statement of the National Party, 'A Blue Green Vision for New Zealand'.
'It is a small hard-working committee of just nine and both The Guardians and its Committee would welcome additional members,' says John Wells. He is available at 2341788 and Secretary Ken Rae on 2339614. 'The Committee's activities are reported regularly on our very accessible website, www.gopi.welllington.net.nz,' says GOPI Chair John Wells. 'An excellent opportunity to make contact is coming up on the morning of October 29 at Brown's Bay.'
Ken Rae
Publicity Officer, GOPI.
Photo Competition Coordinator
4a Paua Place
Plimmerton
233 9614
ken.rae@xtra.co.nz
