INLET GUARDIANS TO REPORT ON A BUSY YEAR
The Guardians of Pauatahanui Inlet for a decade and a half have worked consistently to 'foster the natural, historic and cultural values of the Pauatahanui Inlet' and to 'promote their recognition locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally', aims spelt out in the Society's constitution.
The committee and its Chair, John Wells of Whitby, will report another busy year to the membership at the Annual General Meeting to be held in the Bradey Room next to the Whitby Library on Thursday 28 June at 7.30pm. They will be looking forward particularly to greeting the flow of new members who have joined up after participating in a series of community events through the last year.
Some will have chilled memories of the Inlet Clean Up Day last October. More will have happpier memories of the enthusiastic response to the Planting Day on the Camborne Walkway last month when fifty volunteers completed in less than an hour the planting of 400 trees scheduled for at least a morning's work. Fifteen volunteers turned up the next Sunday to plant a further 200 trees.
The February Photographic Competition invited members of the Porirua communities to 'Celebrate the Inlet' and met with an outstanding response, double the entries of the previous year, and increased involvement by young people. The judge and the viewing public were very impressed by the quality of the winning prints which were put on display in the Whitby Mall, Porirua City Library in Pataka, and in the Palmers Centre at Plimmerton.
The Committee will report funding is available from Greater Wellington and from NIWA to process the results in November from another Triennial Cockle Count, a long running and valued insight into the ongoing health of the Inlet, dependent once again on a turnout of willing volunteers.
Behind the scenes the Committee of the Guardians has had an increasingly busy year involved in consultations on resource consents conducted at both city and regional level as developments have speeded up within the catchment of the Inlet. Restriction of sediment inflows requires ongoing vigilance of the monitoring by those in authority of the conditions imposed on such consents.
The Guardians are happy to report invitations to their nominees to become involved in the briefing of the consultant as Porirua City Council sets up its Harbour and Catchment Development Plan, and in the Rural Review Group working as the Council prepares its first review in twenty years of this aspect of the city's planning and development goals.
The evening's formal business concluded, members will be entertained and informed by local identities Jenny and Spencer Harris who will talk on 'Old Pauatahanui through the Eyes of One Family.' Spencer can draw on over seventy years' experience, having grown up in Pauatahanui. Jenny equally has a long history of service in the local community.
'New arrivals continue to join our communities around the Inlet,' says John Wells, Chair of the Guardians. 'We look forward to their joining our activities and our membership. There will be an opportunity for socialising both before and after the official programme and a chat over tea or coffee from 7 pm. All will be warmly welcomed. Our work is ongoing and important - and increasingly recognised by our City Council and the Regional Council.'
