Eastbourne Herald March 2014

HeraldThe

Eastbourne www.eastbourneherald.co.nz 22 MARCH 2014 Ph 562 7500

GOOD GRAFFITIPAGE 11

Traffic calming measures shift problem northwards

by Emily Tilley

Traffic calming at the end of Muritai Road near Burdan’s Gate has proved a great deterrent for boy racers - except now they have moved northwards towards the Korohiwa bus barns and their behaviour is proving not only anti-social but also dangerous.

Just how dangerous was highlighted recently when a speeding car on the wrong side of the road narrowly missed hitting a group of people standing by the roadside.

The incident occurred on a Sunday afternoon when families with children were near the road.

The car has since been impounded and the driver is to appear in court, which Community Constable Dave Tweedale hopes will send a message to other drivers.

Constable Tweedale praises the locals who noted the registration number of the car and contacted police enabling them to take action.

He says boy-racer type behaviour at Korohiwa has been sporadic, happening at different times of the day and different days of the week, therefore the best solution is to change the environment so there is no longer the wide open spaces favoured by boy-racers.

He says traffic calming recently installed at the far end of the road proves how effective environmental changes can be.

Previously a wide, unmarked area covered in burnout tyre markings from boy-racers doing donuts, the road-end now has marked carparks, speed humps, a raised kerb area between lanes

At a council committee meeting at the end of last month community board chair Virginia Horrocks requested funds from council to

Winning ways for small chefs

improve safety issues in the area near the bus barns.

Mayor Ray Wallace noted that both Harbour Ward councillors Tui Lewis and Michael Lulich had already brought the issue to his attention.

Constable Tweedale organised a meeting last week that brought together police, the Eastbourne Community Board, local residents and Hutt City Council officers to discuss how best an environmental change could be achieved.

Council senior traffic officer Bryan Sparey says the meeting was very productive. “We’ve taken the concerns on board and will see what we can do,” he says.

Officers will now look at traffic calming

options such as speed cushions, a type of speed hump with gaps that forces cars to slow but enables wide-axled vehicles such as buses and firetrucks to straddle the humps without slowing down.

As drivers on Muritai Road head into Korohiwa it can feel as though they are leaving an urban setting and entering a more rural setting which can mean people tend to go faster, Mr Sparey says. He suggests it may be a good idea to put up signs advising people to slow down.

Council reserves assets manager Craig Cottrill says council will also look at measures

Continues Page 4

www.eastbywest.co.nz Ph 494 3339 SEE FULL TIMETABLE page 2

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Departing Days Bay Mon - Fri: 6.50am, 7.15am, 7.45am, 8.05am, 8.35am, 9.10am.

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For sailing status information please phone 494-3339

MONTHLY PASSESADULT $270

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10 TRIP PASSES ADULT $87.00

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What started out as a small, Eastbourne event, mushroomed into a massive, gourmet feast on Saturday as more than fifty people entered the annual Wild Food Challenge, run by Bill and Sarah Manson. Pictured: Bill Manson with the record number of children who entered the challenge this year. Read more about the Wild Food Challenge on Page 9.

81799 Mar14 EH.pdf

The Eastbourne Herald, 22 March 20142

Mondays

Tuesdays

Wednesdays

Thursdays

Fridays

Kate

Club, Oroua Street.

Saturdays

Sundays

6.25am6.50am7.15am7.40am8.10am8.45am10.00am (S)12 noon (S)2.15pm (S)3.40pm (via Seatoun)4.30pm5.00pm5.30pm5.50pm (via Seatoun)6.30pm7.00pm

Depart Queen’s WharfWEEKDAYS:

6.50am7.15am7.45am8.05am (via Seatoun)8.35am9.10am10.30am (S)12.40pm (S)3.15 (S)4.15pm4.55pm5.20pm5.55pm6.30pm6.50pm7.20pm

Depart Days Bay

Sailings may be cancelled at short notice due to weather. To check today’s sailings, tel. 494 3339.

10am (S)12 noon (S)2.15pm (S)3.35pm (S)5.00pm

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FERRY FARES EFFECTIVE FROM 1 OCT One way: adult $11, child $6, NZ student $9. Family Days/Petone $61 (Return). 10 trip: adult $87, NZ student $61, child $37. Monthly pass: adult $270, NZ student $199. Matiu Somes Island: adult $23, NZ student $19, child $12, family $67 (Return).

10.30am (S)12.40pm (S)3.00pm (S)4.15pm (S)5.30pm

WHAT’S ON

Next ECB MeetingTuesday 1 April 2014 - 7.15pm Eastbourne Womens’ Club, Muritai Road

Previous agendas and papers available Council meetings - Home - Hutt City Council

March Eastbourne Community Board

Board members are:

Virginia Horrocks (Chair)

[email protected]

Murray Gibbons (Deputy Chair)

[email protected]

Robert Ashe [email protected]

Gilane Khalil [email protected]

Hayden Ray [email protected]

Cr. Tui Lewis [email protected]

Cr. Michael Lulich [email protected]

Tell us what you thinkThe ECB members will be at the Eastbourne Women’s Club 15 minutes before the formal start of meetings to listen and talk with you. You can makes suggestions, give praise, criticise. It’s your choice.

Take part in decisions about major changes in Lower Hutt.Stadium proposal for Petone Rec - this is a major proposal that would cost ratepayers at least 25million dollars and change the nature of Petone. It has serious implications for all sporting codes, residents and ratepayers. Go to meetings, read about the proposal and get involved in this decision.

Good things are happeningThe re-sealing of Marine Drive has given a stretch of wonderfully smooth riding for cyclists

and rolling for buggies. We are also enjoying the addition to the cycle/walkway by Sunshine Bay.The residents of Korohiwa Bay are looking forward to traffi c calming and landscaping which

is expected to deter reckless drivers and make life safer for residents and all the visitors who have discovered the attractions of the southern end of Eastbourne.

ECB representatives on local organisations

Eastbourne and Bays Community Trust - Murray GibbonsOkiwi Trust - Hayden RayEastbourne Bays Marine Drive Steering Group - Rob AsheEastbourne Youth Workers’ Trust - Gilane KahlilEastbourne and Bays Emergency Response Group - Ginny Horrocks

The Eastbourne Herald, 22 March 2014 3

FUNCTIONS

CATERING

BRUNCH

LUNCH

It’s cars, not buses that annoy Pencarrow cyclists

Cyclist Peter Hughson is more worried about cars than buses on Pencarrow Coast Road.

By Jessy Edwards

vehicles that can use Pencarrow Coast Road, local cyclists say it is the cars, not buses, that are causing problems for them.

the maximum number of vehicle trips allowed

At the time, local residents and lobby groups raised concerns about the impact the increased number of vehicles would have on walkers, cyclists, livestock, and the ecosystem.

Pencarrow Lodge was granted ten round trips per day, including buses bringing tourists from cruise ships.

The lodge can carry over unused trips within

been made by lodge vehicles in a day.Pencarrow Lodge manager Mike Curtis says

the lodge originally applied to run more vehicles on the road because of the increased demand from cruise ship tourists.

a hundred per season.”But lodge vehicles do not harm the

environment, Mr Curtis says.“We don’t see that what we’re doing is

harming the environment at all - in fact it’s probably making people more aware of how good the environment is out here.”

Eastbourne cyclist Rudi Mack says cyclists have noticed an increase in traffic on the road, but it is something they have to live with.

“Compromise needs to be made and if the impact is only small and people can live with it then it is OK,” he says.

There are more issues with private cars than with buses travelling to the lodge, Mr Mack says.

“The bus drivers drive slow and are very careful…but some private cars have been travelling too fast.”

Another local cyclist, Peter Hughson, agrees.“The buses are very good.

“They take up the whole road, but they slow right down and sometimes even stop for you.”

Although the speed limit on Pencarrow Coast

The council’s divisional manager of parks and gardens, Bruce Hodgkins, says the maximum number of cars allowed on Pencarrow Coast Road is to remain at eighty per day.

The council will only review the number of vehicles allowed if there is a pressing reason.

“There haven’t been any issues that would

get us thinking that way,” he says.Last year off-road tyre marks raised concerns

among local iwi and environmentalists about the welfare of the endangered New Zealand Banded Dotterel, which live in the area.

The council will be monitoring the birds to see whether it needs to take action next breeding season to prevent any risk to the birds’ survival.

The council prepares a report every six months on how heavily the road is being used.

The next report is due out in two months.

FLOWERS REDISCOVERED

Heather Griffiths: Tel: 4711 021 a/h 562 8630ORDER ONLINE:email: fl [email protected]: www.fl owersrediscovered.co.nz


In the months December 2013 - February 2014 for Eastbourne and Bays, REINZ reports:

28 properties sold an average sale price of $754,589 - almost 20% lift on the same period last year.

The national median price also rose in February (year on year), by 8.6%. REINZ Chief executive Helen O’Sullivan says this “may be evidence of more activity taking place in the higher price bracket”. It is certainly the case for Eastbourne, with the 28 sales confi rmed as follows:

3 up to $399,0008 between $400,000 and $599,0006 between $600,000 and $799,0005 between $800,000 and $999,0006 above $1,000,000

Do give me a call if you wish to buy, sell or simply talk about real estate.

Wishing you a very happy month ahead!

From Page 1

to put up signs advising people to slow down.Council reserves assets manager Craig

Cottrill says council will also look at measures to restrict access to a gravel area that attracts the type of drivers who like to skid.

Suggestions for the gravel area include planting the area and installing large boulders to work in with landscaping work carried out in the area around the time of the bus barns upgrade.

Mr Cottrill says Korohiwa is “a wonderful area that gets lots of use” and while looking at traffic calming measures council will also review facilities in the area, such as how many bins are

provided.Mr Sparey says once council has drawn up

plans they will go back to residents and the community board to discuss their proposals.

Police sergeant Bradley Allen says there are boy racers all over the Hutt Valley, however the prevalence of boy racers seems to have declined in the area over the last few years.

He says there are probably two reasons: an increase in costs of cars and petrol and proactive policing.

He says it is positive to find communities working with police to both report boy-racer behaviour and look for preventative measures.

Measures move problem north


Chefs celebrate Cobar’s culinary successes

Cobar head chef Ryan Tattersall is mentoring Carlita Campbell as she prepares for two upcoming competitions.

by Emily Tilley

This year is proving to be one of accolades and competitions for the Cobar and chefs Ryan Tattersall and Carlita Campbell.

and Lamb Ambassador Chefs.Ambassadors are chosen by an anonymous

team of assessors who visit restaurants twice to judge their beef and lamb dishes.

Normally they don’t say when they have visited a restaurant, however one of the judges told Ryan their visit happened to coincide with a power cut and the meal was still perfect.

Beef and Lamb Excellence Awards winners, Ryan says he was surprised when he found out he had been named an ambassador.

“When you look at the calibre of chefs who have been ambassadors before… they are all chefs

opportunities.”As an ambassador chef, Ryan will attend

events throughout the year such as food shows and wine and food festivals, designing menus and giving talks and demonstrations.

One of his first appearances will be at the upcoming Red Meat Sector Conference to be

people and then work with the head chef and the Te Papa team to see it realised. He is also the guest speaker at the conference.

The same month the Cobar was accepted as a member of La Chaine des Rotisseurs, an “association of gastronomy” with members worldwide. Acceptance to the association included being nominated by a current member

to judge whether it “made the grade”, Mr Tattersall says.

Another member of the association is Carlita Campbell who recently joined the Cobar as a chef de partie.

she is now preparing for two more competitions with Ryan as her mentor.

This month she travels to Auckland as one of three New Zealand finalists who will compete in the Ora King Chef ’s Bursary.

A bursary to help nurture up-and-coming chefs, a scholarship of a

a travel and work grant in the country of their choice, “a chef ’s trip of a lifetime,” Carlita says.

like to travel to London and gain experience at restaurants such as The Berkley as one of the stagiaires or interns who work for free to gain the experience and foot in the door needed to work at top international restaurants.

Carlita’s diary for September this year as she will represent New Zealand at the Chaine des Rotisseurs young chef ’s competition world finals in South Africa.

At the competition she will receive a “magic box” of ingredients and have just four hours to produce a written menu and three course dinner for four.

Last October Carlita won the New Zealand round of the competition in Timaru as one of five

She says she will begin training in earnest for the competition in April or May, working during the day and putting in extra hours outside of work. “Practicing for competitions is very specific, it’s not like normal restaurant service,”

Ryan says. “There’s different pressure… practice comes in for timing, methods and execution.”

Carlita says she still has a lot of professional growth to do. “Working daily at the Cobar under

under someone really knowledgeable has been really helpful to me.”

Being a chef is “a passion” for Carlita. “There is no choice once you find something,” she says.

Ryan says that’s the difference between

adrenalin and pressure of service”.

an industry where you give up your nights and weekends to work, “you’ve really got to want to do it.”

He says he has huge respect for his staff that give up so much of their time and miss events such

passion and drive that gets the results,” he says.


Bush bashers test out proposed Muritai Track routeby Emily Tilley

A small group bush-bashed their way over the proposed Muritai Track route last week to see what the it might be like.

Organised by Greater Wellington Regional Council the group included regional council staff, regional councillor Prue Lamison, Harbour Ward councillor Michael Lulich, Eastbourne Community Board chair Virginia Horrocks and

Greater Wellington parks manager Amanda Cox says the walk was “really useful” and the first time she had actually followed the proposed trail.

Knowing that the track was to be through regenerating bush, “certainly for me the diversity

would be”, she says.

and that it didn’t involve anything like breaking through lots of gorse, she says.

That a track could be created to the ridge line without needing any structures built was also encouraging, she says, as the cost of maintenance over the long term is much lower for tracks without structures.

Ms Horrocks says that as the walk involved a lot of bush bashing it was still quite hard to tell what an actual track would be like but she still learnt a lot.

She says it appears the trail wouldn’t be steep

be through rather attractive bush with “lovely outlooks and some lovely stands of trees”.

She says the route went through some tall teatree and at one stage around “a superb miro”.

Regional council officers explained that the trail would work around not having steps, instead

with a varying gradient so that it’s better for the knees rather than just going straight up, Ms Horrocks says.

Officers said gravel for the track would be Kapiti gravel which “beds in better” rather than the gravel from Korohiwa used on tracks recently, Ms Horrocks says.

After reaching the ridge line the group then made their way back down the hill via the current track and discussed what maintenance for that

track might be.Ms Horrocks says it is obvious a lot of

thought and work has gone into looking at the tracks, which she suggests might also be useful for any track work the regional council undertakes in the future.

Mr Lawrence says as a recreation track route, he found the proposed track “not very interesting”.

The track is not as open as aerial photos would suggest.

“There’s a patch of five or six beeches and a matai… some dense young manuka at the top … not a lot compared with the existing track. The existing track is a much richer experience.”

He says the track doesn’t have the same views out as the current track, with only one or two views at the moment which will disappear as the forest grows up.

However, he says the group was walking uphill and people tend to look at a view more

it in reverse to finalise that,” he says.Mr Lawrence says he has a strong suspicion

that the driver for plans to create the new track is to be able to get maintenance equipment into the hills.

might be appropriate”, he says. “Still, it must be weighed against biodiversity

and natural values.”EHEA is against new tracks in principle, he

says, because new tracks bring in new weeds. Velt grass, elaeagnus and poplar are already

present at the lower half of the proposed track, and gorse at the top.

Those weeds will become a problem if steps are not taken to control them, Mr Lawrence says.

While creating a new track may address issues of access to the ridge for track maintenance and future track development, “it’s not addressing issues of protecting biodiversity”, he says.

Another issue that became apparent to Mr Lawrence in walking the proposed track is that it would create a one hour loop track for walkers able to go up the new track and down the old.

A loop track would be likely to be popular and create more foot traffic and therefore it would be likely to create more wear on the existing track,

which would have to be taken into consideration, he says.

Creating a loop track at Muritai Track could fulfil the goal of getting more people into the outdoors for exercise, Mr Lawrence says.

However, that also needs to balanced against the issues that creating a new track are likely cause.

scarce, give users a more enjoyable experience by upgrading the existing track rather than building a new track,” he says.

The regional council has not yet made a decision about whether the new track will go ahead and are still working their way through

the proposal.

Conditions are currently too dry for

ahead. Greater Wellington expect the work to start in around two to three months when the track is damper and material added to the track won’t slough off. The work is to mitigate issues with the track identified by locals during consultation on the proposed new Muritai Track.


BOWEN TECHNIQUEMASSAGEREIKI THERAPY

Jenni Gray R.N., R.M., Dip. Orthopedic, Dip. Occupational Health

562 7779 or 027 488 4000 [email protected]

healthworks

Eastbourne Lions Club

Do you want a new Challenge? Would you enjoy helping with events

that will benefi t our community?

We raise funds with our Annual Auction and Garage Sale, Monthly Rubbish Bin,

and Marshalling local events. We are then able to distribute funds to the community and to help local kids.

If you are interested in being involved and would like more information about

the Eastbourne Lions Club please call Geoff 5628499 or Graham 5628819

by Emily Tilley

A new community group forum, Volunteers

Wellington Regional Council to enable people from different volunteer groups to build connections.

Community groups and volunteers associated with regional parks have been invited to the first forum next month which will be mainly about socialising and setting the scene for future

Paul Callister, a member of Kapiti conservation group Nga Uruora.

reasonably regular thing,” Greater Wellington parks manager Amanda Cox says.

Ms Cox says regional council officers realised that people from different groups often don’t

Plea for more money for Whiorauby Emily Tilley

something to be done about the “unfinished project”, that is Whiorau Reserve, Delwyn Randall hopes the Hutt City Council will finally put some money into the area.

reclamation at the southern end of Lowry Bay now known as Whiorau Reserve.

Marina.Now Whiorau Reserve has been left as a large

area of deteriorating asphalt with a boat ramp.

Lowry Bay Residents’ Association member Mr Randall says.

Locals have been advocating for the reserve to

the space with grassy raised humps, picnic tables, a sweeping driveway and still plenty of parking for cars with boat trailers.

could create a family-friendly picnic area,” Mr

Randall says.

Days Bay.”Mr Randall says that as the roading is already

in place, all that is needed is for some holes to be cut in the asphalt, grassy mounds created and furniture added.

He says spoil from slips could be used to create the mounds, he understands the council is regularly offered more top soil than they can use, the furniture can be made from reclaimed timbers from the Point Howard Wharf and the community will help with the planting.

Mr Randall estimates the project would cost

include it in this year’s Annual Plan. The project has been budgeted for before,

but each time it has been delayed. Currently

Long Term Plan for the project to go ahead in

pushed out.”“We’re just asking for enough to get it

started,” he says.

one group through the council and back again, rather than straight from group to group and if people from different groups ever chanced to meet they immediately had a lot to share.

A similar idea to sports clubs being brought

minded people together so they can share ideas, talk over problems, create new opportunities and strengthen community networks, she says

GWRC plan to link up volunteers

Local drivers pass breath tests with flying colours

by Emily Tilley

Eastbourne drivers at a recent Police breath-testing checkpoint.

A police Traffic Alcohol Group checkpoint

to the bays.

breathalysed and no-one was over the legal limit, Senior Sergeant Warren Harris says.

“Negative breath screening” results were

consumed alcohol but not sufficient to be prosecuted, he says.

T h e c h e c k p o i n t w a s o n e o f t h e police TAG team’s random “short, sharp” checkpoints that can appear “any time, any place,” Senior Sergeant Harris says.

A police survey of driver speeds around the bays has been delayed due to roadworks along Marine Drive. With the completion of the roadworks, the survey will continue with speeds monitored at different times of the day and days of the week, Community Constable Dave Tweedale says. Results from the survey will be considered alongside crash data for Marine Drive as police look at what may have caused a spate of crashes around the bays.

Bays speed survey brought to a halt


It took balls to win this one

by Emily Tilley

Ten banded dotterel chicks have survived this breeding season, five times as many as last season when there were only two survivors.

The success can be attributed to an intensive programme by iwi, volunteers, Hutt City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council.

the Pencarrow lighthouse and the eastern end of Lake Kohangapiripiri is one of the largest coastal breeding colonies of banded dotterels in the Wellington region. However, for some years twenty breeding pairs had been struggling to hatch chicks in the area.

Two years ago the regional council set out to find out why the birds were so unsuccessful. Cameras were set up to monitor the nests and it was found that hedgehogs were the main predators with feral cats also occasionally preying on the eggs.

Before the start of the breeding season this year, an intensified predator control programme was introduced to the wider Parangarahu Lakes area and then surveillance maintained throughout the season.

A land-base rahui was placed on the area at the beginning of the season by Taranaki Wh nui kaumatua. The rahui restriction, which will be lifted this week, asked people to avoid disturbing the nests by staying on the road or below the high-tide line if walking on the beach.

Early on there was a report of vehicles driving on the beach, but since then most people were respectful of the rahui and cautious when in the area.

“This year has been a great success for the

regional council biodiversity manager Tim

the habitat for these birds we can make a difference and that everyone’s effort is worth it.”

East Harbour park ranger Mark McAlpine says the natural success rate for banded dotterels

achieved a success rate within that natural norm, “is great”.

The chicks hatched this year will come back to Pencarrow next year to breed so pest management will continue throughout the year and control measures increased again before next year’s breeding season.

Shane Bai ley was elated to win the best dish in this year’s Eastbourne Wild

The competition, now in its sixth year, is run around the world, in Hawaii,

Martha’s Vineyard in the USA, where organisers Sarah and Bill Manson live for

with Glenorchy in

Mr Manson said competitors raised the bar this year, with entries getting more imaginative and well presented e a c h t i m e t h e competition is run.

Shane’s dish, Bush Delight, included a

travelled the Eastern Bay bushes, the Central

many fine New Zealand lakes and head waters of many a river to bring you this delight.

Deer, Stag Balls, Boar Balls, Cicada Shells, Homegrown Plum Chutney, Trout Eggs, Trout Liver, Venison Tongue and homegrown Lemons!.

Shane Bailey and Sarah Manson.

Functions

Weddings

Parties

568 [email protected]

Open Mon-Sat, Late night available

includes cut & blow dry

Village Corner Ph: 562 8916

APRILSPECIAL

Perms

$80Senior Citizens Days

Mon - Fri(Normal Price Saturday)

Ear Piercing Available

Birds thrive under new protection

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12


Kidztalk News from our local playcentres

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

Days Bay Playcentre Newsay Playcentre News

MMER DAYBUSY SUMMER DAYS:The

atfamilies atDays Bay Days BPlaycentrehave had a wondeer-ful staart to the term. We have been making the most of the warm summer been making the most of the warm summweather with lots of outdoor play. On sessions there has f outdoor play. On sessions there has been lots of creative obstacle course constructionts of creative obstacle course construction, climbing up the banks using the climbanks using the climbing ropes, and fort jumping. There have been a lot of emen a lot of empowered two and three year olds as they master diff erent motorent motor skills and gain confi dence with these activities.

PETONE

At the centre there has been a lot of work done on our garden. The children have had fun picking cranberries, feijoas, apples, and beans from our garden. The children have also been involved in re-locating the hedgehog house, which is now happily sitting next to the weta house at one end of the garden.

PLAYCENTRE CAMPING AND TRAIN RIDES:There have also been some great centre trips. Last month

there was a two day playcentre family camping trip to Battle Hill. Highlights included sleeping in the tents, cook-ing over an open fi re, feeding eels, swimming, bush walks, and getting to watch a pony club competition, which was an unplanned bonus for the children! Last week there was a train trip to Upper Hutt as part of Playcentre Awareness Week activities. The children were thrilled to travel on the train and were especially delighted with all the bridges.

DAYS BAY PLAY:This week our Days Bay Play Hand sewn Handicrafts classes for 8-12 year olds starts. We will be advertising next term’s courses soon so keep an eye on the local notice boards and our blog: www.daysbayplay.blogspot.com to see what we will have on off er.

Nga mihi, see you soon!To fi nd out more about Days Bay Playcentre, please phone Gabrielle Edmonds on 021 250 2688.

Plaque unveils origins of “ceramic monolith”by Anne Manchester

Have you ever wondered who made the ceramic sculpture in the garden outside the old Eastbourne Borough Council building?

Thanks to the recent installation of a plaque on the wall behind the sculpture, the mystery has been solved.

Described as a “Ceramic Monolith”, it was

George Kojis. Kojis had studied art in Philadelphia before

he was a key member of the Eastbourne arts workshop which involved well known artists

Pascoe, Jean McKinnon and Julia Van Helden. The workshop on Muritai Road included a kiln and was the centre for free classes for people keen to try their hand at pottery, working with clay.

but with very little idea about how to support myself as an artist,” said Kojis.

“One of my early commissions, however,

Victoria University, to mark the opening of four

misfired.

gratitude to the mayor for all the support she gave

of the borough and the establishment by the mayor of the Eastbourne Arts Trust to support local artists.

me remains in the village.”

Ko j i s , w h o s e wo rk i s h e ld i n galleries throughout New Zealand, says the monolith has no particular cultural significance.

“Perhaps it’s a

like to think of myself sett l ing in a new country.”

inspiration, however, from the standing stones on the Orkney

Scotland.Ko j i s b e c ame

well known as an a r t l ec ture r a t a number of schools and teachers’ colleges in New Zealand, i n c l u d i n g Ta i t a College, Wellington and Palmerston North Teachers’ Colleges a n d Wa n g a n u i Polytechnic where he taught art and ceramics

to indulge his love of fishing. He is still very active in the arts community

there, sharing his skills in a well equipped workshop.

He is a member of the Pihanga Art Gallery co-operative in the centre of town, continuing in

a similar way to how he worked in Eastbourne.

kiln to see how my work and that of my associates has turned out,” he said.

The installation of the new plaque was funded by former mayor Elaine Jakobsson, who now lives in Christchurch.


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The term is still getting started but we have already enjoyed many Fridays nights including a talent contest and a cupcake decorating night.

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Ash Sisson with the mural that he painted for the youth centre Zeal.

By Jessy Edwards

A car crash motivated a Rona Bay teenager to turn his love of spray painting into an artistic career.

Ash Sisson crashed his car into a Holden Commodore in Petone in

after getting his restricted licence.

Without insurance he

in repairs for his own vehicle, while his parents paid for the damage to the Commodore.

Hutt Valley High student began making plans to pay his share of the bill using his obsession with spray painting.

dinner, then started hitting people up about mural jobs, and pretty much started doing them straight away,” he says.

Ash has since painted a number of murals around the city and has started selling canvases.

based, Japanese-influenced work.“That was probably the most successful stall

Ash goes by the artist name Chimp.

succeed.

the world and paint murals.”Ash says the effort he has put in has done

more than just pay off his panel-beating and parts bill.

sell myself and my art to people has been a huge confidence booster for me.”

The ex-Muritai student produces pop-art flavoured murals, canvases and commissioned work using high-quality aerosol cans and markers, vibrant colour and animal imagery.

Although Ash acknowledges the word ‘graffiti’ can have negative connotations, he believes attitudes are changing.

Eastbourne artist moves on to graffitti art

he says. “There was a street art event on recently that

was a big step for starting a scene in the Hutt, but was also one of the first events showcasing a more modern street art style.”

Ash hopes to use his talents to brighten some of the walls in his home suburb, with his sights set on spaces such as the Point Howard public toilets or the wall facing the San Antonio tennis courts.

Ash will be selling his paintings at the next Eastbourne Market, to be held at Days Bay Pavilion April 13.


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Painter inspired by native bush’s formsBy Jessy Edwards

If you see drawings etched into the clay or moss of the Eastbourne walking tracks, it is most likely the work of Maria O’Toole.

The Lowry Bay artist used the experience of walking in the Eastbourne bush to inform her large-scale, abstract works on cotton.

“I started walking in the bush in Eastbourne and videoing those experiences and drawing in the clay or the mosses,” she says.

The walks would then be experienced again from home.

“Sometimes I would draw while I was walking, and then play the video and draw when I got back, just re-experiencing that walk.”

The resulting works are people-sized creations that use an uninhibited combination of charcoal, graphite, oil paint, oil sticks, and even biro to create huge expressions on cotton.

“The works are in human proportion. They’re about the body but they’re very abstract.”

The 48 year old has just completed her Masters in Fine Arts at Massey University.

The degree culminated in a successful exhibition at Massey University’s The Engine Room over two weeks in February.

“It was really lovely. I hung 7 pieces and it was really well received,” she says.

Maria has been making art all her life. Originally starting off in design, she

progressed to illustration, and now produces fine art.

She always knew that she would be an artist.“When I was a child I liked to draw, and I

always seemed to do very well at it. I think it was a natural progression from there.”

Maria O’Toole in front of one of her abstract paintings.Doing her Masters has led Maria to start

experimenting in ways that she never expected.With a background in life drawing, she

started her Masters expecting to paint the figure, but soon found herself exploring new and unexpected ground.

“You kind of go on this journey - it’s the magical part.”

With the course now completed and passed, Maria is looking forward to moving her studio back from the university to her home in Lowry Bay.

She now has her sights set on winning some art awards, as well as applying for artist residencies.

“I’m very interested in some residencies, perhaps overseas,” she says.

Maria has already had a positive response from a potential residency in France.

Civic awards open for nominationsNow is the time to acknowledge those

volunteers who give up huge amounts of their time for the community as nominations for the Hutt City Community awards open this month.

There are six award categories: community services, cultural affairs, educational services, recreation, social welfare and youth activities.

There is also a youth services award which recognises a young person aged 15 to 25 who has carried out outstanding voluntary community service.

Mayor Ray Wallace says the awards are a fantastic opportunity to say thank you to long-

term community volunteers.“We have a wealth of people in our city

who give their time selflessly to help others and our Civic Awards are about recognising the outstanding work they do.”

Nomination forms are available online at www.huttcity.govt.nz/civicawards or from Hutt City libraries. Nominations close Friday June 6.

photography

www.sueallmanpeople.co.nz

562 0154


LETTERSSiren upgrade is the problem

Of course I feel total compassion for any family with a seriously ill member, especially a child. However, I love trees and feel very strongly that iconic trees need to be protected.

Mr Smith stated in your February issue that the lack of correspondence supporting the preservation of the trees indicated a lack of public support for their protection. Well this is a letter in support of the trees.

Let me assure Mr Smith that there are many like-minded people who are extremely distressed at the destruction of what was such a beautiful and quintessentially Eastbourne street. Before making such sweeping statements justifying the deed, Mr Smith should perhaps have a little more humility and empathy for other members of the Eastbourne community - as they have shown him and his family - rather than being so smug that he has got his way.

N TalbotEastbourne

Re: Letter to editor by Maureen Roche, Eastbourne Herald, 21 Feb 2014, page 12

I suppose I am the Mr Noonan Maureen Roche is referring to. I just like to point out a few things. Before I came to New Zealand I lived in the Netherlands in the fifties and sixties under the same roof as the local fire station which was run by volunteer firemen. We had a siren and also the telephone was used: one push of a button made all the phones of the firemen ring. The siren was loud but not ear piercing. Since the upgrade of the Eastbourne fire station the reconditioned siren is much louder and it is only since the upgrade that I and other people in the area have a problem with the excessive noise and use of the siren. In the past the siren was not used after 9 pm, now it used any time of day or night. Mr Dunphy of the Hutt Area Fire Service has stated in the Eastbourne Herald that the siren was only to be used as a back-up. Now it used for every call out as a primary call-up in conjunction with the beepers. Technology

has advanced and all firemen have cell phones which can be used instead of the siren as a back-up. Since the refurbishing of the fire station and siren the school also has problems with the siren. I have measured and the sound levels are now in a range declared dangerous for growing children by the World Health Organisation. If Maureen Roche disagrees with that I suggest she takes up with WHO in Geneva. I have also suggested that the siren be placed in the middle of the recreation ground on the beach side. This is a location just as far from the southern end and the northern end of Eastbourne which means that the siren which also functions as Civil Defence warning is serving north and south equally well. It will then be 80-90m from the nearest house which is a lot better than the current position. I appreciate the work the fire brigade does but that does not mean we have to accept dangerous sound levels from their siren. There are better ways.

Adrian MoonenEastbourne

What about others people’s feelings towards the trees?


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Help’s at hand for lost pooches

Two Eastbourne women are compiling a database of local dogs, to aid in returning lost pooches to their owners.

Alex Cooper and Lindsay Mitchell came up with the idea, after hearing of dogs being put in the pound, when they could have more easily been returned to their owners by locals.

People wanting to register their dog will be asked for a contact phone number, along with a description of the dog, including its disc number, so that if anyone finds it wandering they can ring Alex or Lindsay and they will then contact the owner.

Anyone wanting to put their dog on the database can contact Lindsay on 021 132 5968 or email her at [email protected].

Alternatively, ring Alex Cooper on 0274 884486.

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Petone Arena to go in draft planby Emily Tilley

Hutt City Council will spend $120,000 on consulting and analysis of the Petone Arena proposal.

With public opinion widely divided, Hutt City Councillors agreed unanimously on Tuesday night to include the arena proposal in its Draft Annual Plan.

A feasibility study will be completed in time for public submissions on the Draft Annual Plan, with councillors getting the final say on whether to include the $25 million investment in the city’s Annual Plan.

Mayor Ray Wallace says the council will then be in a better position to make a decision, “but it may be the work needs longer”.

Public seating was full at the council meeting as people came to speak both for and against the proposal.

Days Bay resident and CEO of a concert promotion company, Capital C: Concerts, Phil Sprey, told councillors the arena wouldn’t be an appropriate venue for concerts and he wouldn’t consider it for bookings.

He said to include concert revenue in a business case for the arena is “totally misleading”.

Mr Sprey said the business plan put forward

is based on having a ten-year contract with the Phoenix, however he had spoken to “people in the A League” who told him they were still looking at a five year licensing period for the Phoenix.

Council Community Services General Manager Matt Reid said that for the Phoenix to have a ten-year licence is a “critical condition” and that if their licence is only for five years then “council must say it doesn’t happen”.

“Welnix need to discuss with the A League,” he said.

Mr Sprey said that Welnix should also be looking at contributing financially to the more comprehensive analysis.

Council officers estimate the community consultation and further analysis will cost Hutt City around $120,000 this financial year.

Petone Community Board chair Mike Fisher told the council, “Petone and Hutt City residents are looking at this with a great deal of scepticism and concern”.

He said around 250 people had attended a public meeting held by the board the previous night and raised concerns including parking, traffic, noise, loss of green space, finance and the effect on rates.


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News from Point Howard

By the time you read this, the Eastbourne Games will be just about underway. Hopefully our team will perform with distinction and a big thank you to Julie Batchelor for organising us.

The annual Hill walk-around with the Community Board and Hutt City Council representatives took place during February and on 14 March, Zachary Moodie from the council was joined by Dave Mills and Mary Williams for a follow up inspection and discussion. There are a number of things planned to happen at various future dates but perhaps of most signifi cance is the second stage of road widening and other improvements to the lower part of Howard Road. The widening will be on the seaward side of the road and will also encompass a footpath from the zigzag up to the fi rst house. This will solve the current safety issue for pedestrians. The ‘poached egg’ at the intersection of Howard Road with Marine Drive is to be reinstated. The work is planned for this year.

Residents hoping to get ultrafast broadband are still having problems with getting their homes connected. The wiring needs to be reticulated overhead using the power poles that carry electrical supply. Putting the very kindest interpretation on the reason for the delay, it would appear that Chorus, who install the broadband are engaged in some debate with Wel-lington Electricity who own the poles. Hopefully these two companies can reach agreement soon so that broadband customers are not further disadvantaged.

by Emily Tilley

The Eastbourne Community Board has told the council they will be asking for $5 million for the Eastern Bays walkway/cycleway to be added to the city’s Annual Plan.

Board chair Virginia Horrocks told the councillors at a Council Community Plan Committee meeting that the walkway is an important project, not only for Eastbourne but also for the region and that it deserves more urgency.

Currently there is no funding allowance in the draft Annual Plan for the 2014/15 year as NZTA have declined subsidising the project in their current funding round.

Ms Horrocks told the meeting that work on the walkway/cycleway should be brought forward to the current year with $5 million funded by council regardless of NZTA subsidies.

Initially no money was put aside for work on the walkway in the 2013/2014 draft Annual Plan either, however after submissions from the Eastern Bays Shared Path Consultation Group and community board, $50,000 was set aside for completion of a small section of the shared path.

That work, a 60 metre section in Sunshine Bay, has now been completed alongside recent roadworks on Marine Drive.

A power pole in Sunshine Bay was also relocated in conjunction with the walkway/cycleway work. The “particularly nasty pole” was uncomfortably close to the road even for motorists and was a hazard for commuter cyclists pushing them further out into the road, council road and traffic manager Ron Muir says.

Local cyclist Bruce Spedding says until the walkway/cycleway is complete it is of little use to cyclists as if they ride on the completed sections they then have to veer back out into the traffic, which for fast cyclists can be more dangerous than staying on the road.

He says the piecemeal small parts of the cycleway that have been completed have done nothing to attract new cyclists to bike around the bays as there is no complete route which feels safe.

“Council need to commit to the whole job and get on with it,” Mr Spedding says.

He would also like to see a continuation of the cycleway along the waterfront through to the southern end of Eastbourne and eventually linking to the Rimutaka Rail Trail.

“It would be so much in keeping with the character of Eastbourne. It would be positive for

$5m sought for walkway solutionEastbourne and sympathetic with why we live here,” Mr Spedding says.

Promoting the recreational facilities to visitors and enhancing those opportunities would keep Eastbourne from becoming a place of high rise buildings along the waterfront or a dormitory town, he says.

Until the cycleway is complete, Mr Spedding believes there a number of things that could help make the road safer for cyclists.

The first is clear signage telling drivers how to be safe on the road around cyclists, such as “Don’t Pass on Blind Corners” and to reminding them to keep a 1.5m gap between a car and cyclist.

The second is for drivers to try and understand the road from a cyclist’s perspective. Having a car pass you only 50cm away is “scary” he says.

Cyclists have to constantly look ahead and navigate around obstacles such as stormwater grates and parked cars with potentially opening doors.

Cyclists move out into the road well before the obstacles, they are not hogging the road but ensuring they don’t suddenly swerve out in front of a car to avoid an obstacle at the last minute, Mr Spedding says.

Mr Spedding says cyclists are working together to personalise rider’s for motorists, and remind them that each cyclist is an important life for someone - so if you see someone with a flouro-vest saying “Dad”, that could be him riding home to people who are waiting for him.

Walker confirms campaign

So far the only confirmed candidate standing for Hutt South in this September’s General Election is Green MP Holly Walker.

Ms Walker stood for Hutt South for the first time in 2011 and says she’s very excited to be standing again having “enjoyed campaigning hugely last election”.

She will again be campaigning for the party vote rather than the electorate vote.

None of the other parties have yet confirmed their candidates, but longstanding Hutt South MP Trevor Mallard says he put himself forward to be Labour’s local candidate again this year.

Nominations for Labour’s Hutt South candidate closed this month, however the party has not yet confirmed who will stand.

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Broadcaster finally gets a chance for a lie-inby Louise Goble

What do you do when the man whose voice you’ve woken up to for thirty-odd years is no longer there? Listeners to National Radio’s weekday Morning Report show will have to figure it out from April 2 when Geoff Robinson will no longer be co-hosting the three hour current affairs programme.

Mr Robinson has lived in Point Howard for the best part of twenty years, and says the anonymity of being a radio producer has been a positive part of the job.

In an age of celebrity interviewers, he says “what we do is important, not who we are”.

Mr Robinson joined the NBC in the 1960s, and after a stint in television and commercial radio, found his niche on the non-commercial National Programme.

Not many people can claim to have been shot with a water gun by Sooty, or interviewed their personal heroes such as John Pertwee, Jacques Cousteau and Spike Milligan, but Mr Robinson has interviewed these along with thousands more over the years.

While technology has advanced from starting with reel to reel, to cassette and now digital recorders; from fax machines, teleprinters, carbon copy “sandwiches” of stories typed up in a typing pool, to computers, “the more things change, the more they stay the same”, he says.

Rising at 3.30am each weekday, Mr Robinson was never there for his two children’s breakfast,

but was there for dinner. While his work made

for early nights and limited socialising during the week, it did include a lot of travelling, including being the first broadcaster to visit North Korea.

Being privy to news before the public has been a privilege he says, and he has covered all the major events of the last thirty years, including the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in 1981, Rhodesia becoming Zimbabwe in 1980, and of course 9/11.

“ 9 / 1 1 w a s a major highlight of my broadcasting career,” he says.

“It was an incredible event and the adrenalin was amazing.”

However, something he has never come to enjoy is the “disaster interview”.

“I’m always amazed how much ordinary people are prepared to give.

“I hate doing those ‘how do you feel’ interviews,” he says.

As for plans for retirement, Mr Robinson says he may do a little broadcasting in the future, but for now the thing he’s looking forward to most is a nice lie-in.

Geoff Robinson.


Dear Residents,

FIRST AID

The Rotary Club of Pencarrow, assisted

fi nancially by Eastern Bays Community Trust is

organising a fi rst aid training program total time

4 hours -

This covers:

How to respond to an emergency medical

situation, do CPR, use a Defi brillator, respond

to choking, heart attack, deal with bleeding

injuries.

They plan to run 2 courses. 7 June and 14

June.

Anyone interested please contact Mark Ruther-

ford 562 7638 [email protected]

DAYS BAY PICNIC

On a gorgeous summer evening over 60 littlies

and their families enjoyed the classic races,

balloons, ice blocks, tug of war.

DAYS BAY DANCE 13th SEPTEMBER

- we will keep you posted with more details.

regards

Diane Cheyne

Chairperson

smoke signals19 Feb Moana Road, cat stuck up tree.19 Feb Latham Road, sea mist mistaken for smoke.20 Feb Burdans Gate, fire on beach.05 Mar Mahina Road, lifting assistance.

Matches, Candles and Lighters are

Tools not ToysAll matches, candles and lighters are tools

not toys, they should be kept out of the sight and reach of children. Parents and care-givers need to remember that child resistant lighters are not childproof.

Children should be taught, if they find matches and lighters, they should take them to an adult straight away.

The New Zealand Fire Service offers a programme called the Fire Awareness and Intervention Programme. This programme is designed to educate and assist children/juveniles who have fire related behaviour problems.

75.8% of children referred to the Fire Awareness and Intervention Programme used matches and lighters as an ignition source.

Working with Communities to protect what they value.

- EVFB CFO Ross Carroll

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Former Eastbourne Herald editor/owner Jonathan Schwass has been named the New Zealand ambassador to Timor Leste.

Mrs Schwass and wife Ann Howarth owned The Eastbourne Herald for several years, before he went to work fulltime at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The couple’s first posting was to the Soloman Islands, where Mr Schwass served as deputy high commissioner.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the ambassador’s role would include strengthening New Zealand’s relationship with Timor Leste through business and trade links, as well as New Zealand’s aid programme.

“Since 1999 New Zealand has played a major role in building Timor-Leste’s peace and security. The country has come a long way in a short time and is now moving into an era in which development, particularly sustainable economic development, is the major priority,” Mr McCully says. Timor-Leste plans to open an Embassy in New Zealand later this year.

From editor to ambassador

Jonathan Schwass inspects government troops at his swearing in.


PARKSIDE

As mentioned last month I would like to talk about the success of the Banded Dotterel at Pencarrow Coasts. Over the last two seasons the birds have been under serious pressure with just 3% of nests producing chicks.

Recent monitoring of the nests found out that hedgehogs were the main predator. Feral cats also preyed on the eggs and were likely to be a significant threat to the chicks once hatched.

The dotterels nests are extremely hard to spot

so Taranaki Whanui kaumatua placed a land based rahui on 1.7kms of beach next to Pencarrow Coast Road between the Pencarrow lighthouse and the eastern end of Lake Kohangapiripiri beach. We also increased the amount of predator contro l work that we were doing in the area and targeted hedgehogs.

This programme has resulted in an increase to 31% in nesting success for the season and equates to an increase from two chicks last season to ten chicks this season.

I would like to say a thank you to all of those people who respected the rahui and those who helped with the control programme. Hopefully next breeding season will be as good or even better for our banded dotterels.

Recently I have seen a nice display of glow-worms. Glow-worms are an interesting insect that can be seen in East Harbour Regional Park

at night. They like damp and sheltered areas including caves or overhanging banks in the bush. A glow-worm is actually the larvae of a species of fly called a fungus gnat.

Glow-worms make sticky silk threads which they hang like fishing line from a web shaped like a hammock. Small flying insects are attracted to the light of a glow-worm and get caught in the sticky threads. The glow-worm pulls the line up like a fishermen and eats the insect.

The larvae (maggot) lives for about 6-9 months in this stage of its life before it encloses itself in a tube of mucus and silk and hangs in a damp, sheltered area for about two weeks when the adult fly emerges. Curiously the fly does not have a mouth and cannot feed. It only lives for a few days in that time it finds a mate and lays its eggs and the process repeats.

For the latest parks information please visit www.gw.govt.nz/parks-news-3.

-EHRP Ranger Mark McAlpine

A Banded Dotterel chick. Photo: Robyn Smith.


Faith in the Community

This column of church news and views is sponsored by St Alban’s Anglican,

St Ronan’s Presbyterian and San Antonio Catholic Churches.

Inter-church butterfl iesHappenstances to ponder during lent…

Sandy (from St Ronan’s) grows swan plants with the children of San Antonio School in their garden which he tends. Together, they raised monarch caterpillars through to pupae and two of these were placed in tiny, bamboo ‘birdcages’ - a mauve cage was hung in the senior classroom and a yellow cage in the junior classroom of San Antonio School.

The children looked after these till the summer holidays when (still as pupae) they were sent home with two school families. The senior’s teacher, Carmen, gave the mauve cage to Conor and Lauren (Sandy’s neighbours). That butterfl y emerged a few days later and was set free by the children.

The junior’s teacher, Thérèse, gave the yellow cage to Ellie (vicar at St Alban’s) and her children Zachary and Joseph on the same day she went to visit her parishioner, Phil Chisholm in the hospice. She took the miniature cage with her to the hospice and, later, placed it in St Alban’s church as a place to pray for Phil and his family while he lay in a coma.On the morning of the private service to scatter Phil’s ashes, Ellie noticed the pupa had turned an amazing black and orange. When she returned to the church after the service, she found the butterfl y had emerged.

Butterfl ies offer a useful image of the Christian message. As we approach Easter, their metamorpho-sis brings to mind the ideas of resurrection, a fresh start and a new life.

We share this little story because it speaks of the reality of the life shared between our Eastbourne churches. The series of happenstances, while not proving anything to the sceptical, is nonetheless mysterious and ‘pregnant’ with meaning. It affects us...

OBITUARYBarbara Avery

11 August 1926 – 3 February 2014

Barbara Avery moved to Eastbourne in 1989 and lived in her cottage on Muritai Road for 20 years, until she moved up to Paraparaumu to be closer to her youngest daughter Ruth.

Barbara, née Aitken, was born in Dunedin to Sadie and William Aitken. The family later moved to Wellington where they lived in Roseneath and Barbara went to Haitaitai Primary School. Bill Aitken owned and operated WJM Aitken, an import/export company. For her secondary school years, she attended Woodford boarding school in Havelock North where she also studied piano. She continued her music studies at Victoria University where she met fellow student Ken Avery, who went on to write NZ popular songs such as Tea at Te Kuiti, and By the Dog Dozing Strip at Dunsandel, and become a well-known jazz musician. They married in 1952 and lived first in Pukerua Bay, and then for 31 years in Karori. It was after Ken’s death that Barbara moved to Eastbourne.

Barbara was on the committee of the Historical Society of Eastbourne, belonged to the Eastbourne Retired Persons’ Association, and was a member of St. Albans where she was on the vestry for a period. She also played pool with the ladies at the local RSA and was part of the Eastbourne walking group.

She was a keen golf player and was a member of the Shandon Golf Club for many years. She was also an avid gardener, and enjoyed having a swim at Rona Beach after a hot afternoon gardening. She loved to read and do the cryptic

crossword.H e r t h r e e

daughter s , Jane , Clare , and Ruth lived at various times in the UK and the USA, and Barbara made several trips to visit them and her granddaughters, as well as going on classics and art history tours to Europe run by Victoria University.

When she was 71, she was diagnosed with Parkinsonism, but was able to manage her disease very well and to live independently far longer than her doctors had expected.

She eventually moved up to Coastal Villas in Paraparaumu for health reasons, and died peacefully at the age of 87.

- Clare Avery

DESIGNS ON YOUby Elaine Parr


TAI CHI

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by Emily Tilley

A short season opens at the end of the month for deer hunters in the East Harbour Regional Park.

The hunting is scheduled from March 30 to April 29 and is confined to a designated area of the park inland from the ridge line. The hunting provides a recreational opportunity for deer hunters while also playing a part in controlling animals in the park.

“Every deer shot is a positive for us,” East Harbour park ranger Mark McAlpine says.

Having said that, the area designated for recreational hunting is quite small and not highly populated, and last season he didn’t hear of anyone actually managing to shoot a deer, Mr McAlpine says.

Only nine recreational deer-hunting permits are issued each year and each permit is only for a three day period, he says.

There is no hunting on Wednesdays so that volunteers such as possum-baiters can go into the area.

Deer are present throughout the park and were probably historically released for hunting by private landowners, he says.

The problem with deer is that they are foliage eaters that browse on certain species and if their numbers become too great they can eat some native plants such as five-finger and puka to extinction.

In October each year, the regional council brings in a professional deer-hunter who is allowed across a wider area to cull deer and ensure numbers are kept down.

The regional council also offer the opportunity for recreational pig hunting in the Northern Forest Block of the park.

Permits for non-firearm use are issued for a five month period each year from May to

September. Bow Hunters are prohibited and dog registration numbers or micro-chip numbers for

a maximum of three dogs are required prior to permits being issued.

There’s deer in them there hills

This map shows the area for controlled hunting.


SPORTEB, Stop Out and Petone join forces

by Steve McMorran

Eastbourne will provide six players to a combined team with Stop Out and Petone which will compete in the 14th grade of Wellington’s elite Junior Premier League this season.

After hard work and careful negotiation, club loyalties have been set aside to ensure players from three Hutt Valley clubs have the chance to play at the highest level, as their talent permits.

The team, coached by Graham Tennent assisted by Ralph Morley, will take the JPL spot won last season by a combined Eastbourne-Stop Out team in the regional competition which starts on April 5.

Along with the six players from Eastbourne, the team will have four players from Stop Out and four from Petone, Eastbourne club chairman Sola Freeman said.

The newly-formed team will play a group of Eastbourne teenagers, comprising a Chairman’s XI, this weekend in its first competitive shakedown.

Freeman said the Eastbourne Football Club management committee has worked hard over the last month managing registrations, organising teams and gear, providing a coaching evening and holding a trial for the 10th grade teams.

Five selectors attended the trial to provide objective assessments of the players and Eastbourne will field two 10th grade teams, one of which will enter the highly competitive Travel League.

Eastbourne will have up to 20 young players in the First Kicks second, teams in both the 7th and 8th grade Fun Football league, two teams in the 9th grade and one team each in the 11th and 12th grades.

Eastbourne has been unable to reassemble the under-17 team which competed so successfully in its debut season last year.

Rugby lads pad up for start of the seasonbu Steve McMorran

The Eastbourne Rugby Club is looking towards the coming season with accustomed suspense, waiting through the final weeks before the first kickoff to see how playing numbers pan out.

In an homage to the end of summer, the club began its activities for the season with a Twenty20 cricket match at HW Shortt last weekend, giving intending players, club members, sponsors and supporters a chance to

“Unfortunately, while there were some interested in playing for an under 17 team, there was insufficient interest from other possible football players in that age group to field a team,” Freeman said.

“Those too old for the under-17 team have, however, provided the core of a young senior team for the club - something the club felt was very important to retain. And, of course, our strong Masters squad are back for more this year.”

In partnership with Capital Football, the Eastbourne, Stop Out, Petone and Wainuiomata clubs have offered a Federation Skill Centre to its junior players this season.

The programme will run sessions twice a week and is designed to work technically with players from age of 9-12 years as Capital Football›s first step into the Federation Talent Programme.

The club is hugely appreciative of those who have volunteered to coach or managed a team this season, Freeman said.

“For a small club every bit of support and help goes a long way and in the end means we all provide an enjoyable environment for our children to play football in.”

mix and mingle as the countdown to the season nears its end.

The club had its first full, pre-season training run on Thursday and will now train regularly until the Wellington club season begins in late April.

Senior team manager Kevin Hewson said Eastbourne will field one team again this year in the highly-competitive Wellington 85kg restricted grade. The grade has three divisions and Eastbourne reached the semifinals of the first division again last season.

Many of the players that achieved that pleasing result are returning this year but Hewson said it was still too early to forecast just how strong playing numbers will be.

“It’s very early yet but things are looking okay,” Hewson said. “There will be just the one team again but we›re very happy with where we›re at.

Hewson expects Eastbourne to again field a competitive side unders coaches Greg Halford and Barry Luke.


SPORTTight-knit team ends play on a high note

by Steve McMorran

Young Muritai Tennis Club members Ashleigh Grenfell, Fraziska Plimmer, Olivia Bloomfield and Ella Grenfell (pictured left-right) are poised to end a long and fruitful association on a high note, by winning the Hutt Valley Tennis junior girls Premier A interclub title.

The four women make up the Muritai Williams team which is currently in second place with two rounds remaining in the highly competitive grade.

Ashleigh Grenfell is 17, Ella 16, Plimmer 18 and Bloomfield 17 and the quartet likely playing together as a team for the last time this season.

“It would be great to see the girls win the title as this could be their last season competing as a team together,” Muritai club spokeswoman Kim Everett said.

“They have been representing MTC and Eastbourne since 2008/09 and through their

tennis skills and their attitude and behaviour on and off the court they have become great ambassadors for tennis, MTC and Eastbourne. And more importantly they›re all great friends and have fun.”

Muritai has a strong chance of finishing the season on a high note as competitions come to a conclusion over the next two weekends.

The Muritai Falcons and Muritai Tuis are

placed first and second respectively in girls› division two.

In boys’ division 3, the Muritai club’s newest team, the Smash Hits, are in very close second place in their first season together.

Finals day for the Muritai club championships and the annual handicap tournament will be held on March 30.

Views aplenty in challenging Mt Lowry hill runThe Mt Lowry Challenge which will be

staged on March 30 is expected to attract as many as 400 competitors, making it one of New Zealand›s fastest-growing and most popular adventure or mountain runs.

Beautiful scenery, expert organisation and a variety of courses to suit age groups and competitors seeking different levels of challenge helps the race annually attract a wide range of

participants. The Vasque Extreme Mount Lowry Challenge caters to the most adventurous and experienced runners, following a 22 kilometre course with a 1,140 meter climb to the peak of Mt Lowry and beyond. At some points the course is unmarked, testing competitors› route knowledge and navigational skills. The race starts and finishes at Williams Park. The Bridgedale Mt Lowry Challenge is an 11.75 kilometre premier

mountain run with a climb of 400 metres. Again, the start and finish is at Williams Park. The MACPAC Junior Challenge, also over 11.75 kilometres, follows the same route as the Mt Lowry Challenge and is open to runners from 8 to 15 years of age. The Extreme race starts at 8.30am and the Mt Lowry Challenge and Junior Challenge at 9am. There will be a prizegiving at Williams Park at 12.30pm.


SPORTSports Awards won’t happen this year, but they will happen

by Steve McMorran

Rotary Pencarrow will make a further attempt next year to revive the Eastbourne and Bays SportsPerson of the Year Awards after their efforts to reanimate the awards this season fell just short of fruition.

The club hoped to host an event honouring Eastbourne’s outstanding sports achievers and the volunteers whose energy powers individual sports clubs in the local community. Organisers now accept they may need a longer lead-in time to allow more advertising and to give clubs greater notice to ensure they can nominate all local sportspeople and administrators whom they feel are worthy of recognition.

The last Eastbourne and Bays SportsPerson of the Year Award was presented in 1979 when Paul Meo was honoured for winning the New Zealand laser yachting title.

Organisers were hopeful of holding a new awards presentation dinner in April but found that while there was enormous enthusiasm for the awards from local clubs and while there was a substantial pool of worthy nominees, some clubs were not able to put forward nominations in the time available.

“It appeared that we might have caught some clubs at a bad time with the usual sport changes between seasons or the break over the Christmas period,” Rotary spokesman John Stevenson said.

“The clubs have all been very supportive and very enthusiastic but some indicated they needed more time to put together their nominations. For that reason we decided to postpone the awards to a better time.

“We’re certainly not giving up on the concept. One thing that has been very obvious is the incredible number of outstanding sportspeople that Eastbourne produces, which is quite remarkable for a community of this size. There definitely needs to be an award or group of awards that acknowledges their achievements.

“But we feel now that if we are going to do it we have to do it right. We have to make sure that we are able to get our advertising out there, so that as many people as possible are aware of the awards, and we have to work with the clubs to ensure we have the widest possible pool of nominees.

“The clubs have told us they want to be part

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This year’s crop of winners from the Eastbourne Swim Club race meeting, with long-time swim club coach, Ray Gough.

of this and we have to ensure we give them that opportunity.”

Stevenson praised Derek Wilshere and others who worked hard to make the awards an reality and are disappointed at their postponement but also determined to make a better awards ceremony in future.

Swimmers celebrate with wins


by Steve McMorran

Muritai sailor George Gautrey has shown himself to be among the world’s best youth helmsmen by leading his Wellington crew to victory at the Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Championships on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour.

The mid-February regatta, hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and now in its 14th year, was contested by 11 crews from New Zealand, Australia and the United States sailing identical Elliot 7 metre keelboats. Past winners of the event include James Spithill, the Australian-born skipper of America’s Cup holder Oracle Team USA.

Gautrey joined that esteemed company when he came from a race behind to beat George Brassell of the RNZYS Youth Training Programme in the best-of-three race final. After losing the first race by 17 seconds, Gautrey and his Wellington Youth Sailing Scheme crew, representing the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club, won the second by 8 seconds and the deciding race by 17 seconds.

Brassell paid generous tribute to the winning helmsman and his crew of Adam Middleton, James de Lisle, Nick Thyne and Bryn Bennet.

“He’s a fast sailor and you can’t pull him

back once he’s away,” he said. “In match one we had a good start and led him around the track. The other races we started badly and tried everything we could but just couldn’t claw our way back into it.

“He sailed really well, full credit to him.”Gautrey said he was “ecstatic” and “speechless”

after winning the title, quickly confirming he would return to defend the championships next year.

To reach the final, Gautrey won an epic semifinal against fellow Port Nicholson sailor Sam Mackay. Gautrey won the first race but Mackay came back strongly, winning the two to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five race match.

Gautrey’s young crew then showed its mettle by winning the fourth race by eight seconds to tie the match and the sudden-death fifth race by 19 seconds to clinch a finals place.

“Going down to Sam really tested our team, but we came back and pulled it off,” Gautrey said.

Meanwhile, Pete van Ryn and Jay McJorrow of Muritai finished third and fifth respectively in the laser class at the Wellington Centreboard Regatta in the first weekend of March. Andrew Dellabarca, now sailing for the Worser Bay club, took out the laser title.

The Muritai club’s annual Taipo Shield regatta was sailed on the weekend of March 8.

Gautrey victorious at youth champs

George Gautrey, helsman in the lead boat (in white sunglasses).


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St Alban’s Anglican:11 Ngaio St, EastbourneRev. Dr. Eleanor Sanderson, tel: 562 6076Thursday: 10am, Sunday: 8am, 9.30amSunday School: 9.30amSt Ronan’s Presbyterian:Muritai Rd, Eastbourne tel: Parish Clerk 562 8753Sunday Morning Worship: 9.30amPower Hour: 9.30amSan Antonio Roman Catholic:Oroua St, Eastbourne tel: Sharon Penny (06) 379 8279Saturday Vigil Mass: 5.30pmSunday (Sacred Heart, Petone): 9.30am & 5.30pm

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Editor: Louise GobleNews:Emily TilleySports: Steve McMorranAd Design: John Stevenson

Email:[email protected]:562 7500Website:www.eastbourneherald.co.nz

Petone Chronicle The

www.petonechronicle.co.nz Issue Six: March 8 2014 562 7500

One of the empty Housing New Zealand flats.

by Emily Tilley

The future of around 10 percent of Housing New Zealand’s Petone stock is up in the air as HNZ say they are currently “considering options” for the future of 35 vacant properties.

Low demand in the area and a difficulty in tenanting HNZ properties in Petone East, has now led HNZ to consider the future of some of their properties.

In Petone, there are currently only four applicants who have put Petone as their first area of choice, HNZ area manager Stephen Wilson says.

Thirty-five properties, including Jackson St properties in Petone East, remain vacant because HNZ are considering options for their future, he says. “We aim to have a decision on these in the next few months.”

Currently 61 of the 329 HNZ properties in Petone are vacant.

Five of the vacant properties are earthquake prone buildings. HNZ say they are awaiting results of destruction testing carried out on a property in Upper Hutt recently before making a decision about next steps for those properties.

“We won’t compromise on tenant health and safety which is why these buildings are not available,” Mr Wilson says.

He says 21 properties are ready to let and many are in the process of being matched to applicants on the waiting list.

HNZ flats' future consideredGovt to be asked to make a call on our water

by Emily Tilley

Whether Petone’s water will remain fluoride free is in question as a proposal has been put forward to take fluoridation decisions out of councils’ hands.

Councils nationally will be asked in July whether they agree to give up their decision making rights over the fluoridation of local water and instead put it in Government’s hands.

It is all the councils in the Wellington region that are putting forward the proposal to be considered nationally at the LGNZ Conference.

Kapiti Coast District Council asked for regional support to put forward a remit to councils nationally that: “Local Government New Zealand urge the Government to amend the appropriate legislation so that the addition of fluoride to drinking water supplies is not a decision that is left to the local authority.”

It says that the law should be changed so that “the appropriate Government agency with regard to National Public Health issues is ultimately responsible for any decision associated with the use of Fluoride in a public water supply.”

At a meeting on Wednesday, all the councils in the region agreed to take the remit forward to the national AGM, Hutt City’s representative at the meeting Councillor Margaret Cousins, says.

She says it was passed on the basis councils agreed to put the proposal forward nationally, rather than that it was supported by individual councils.

Councillor Max Shierlaw says if the decision to fluoridate Petone’s drinking water is put in the hands of a Government department, “it will

almost surely be fluoridated”.“The health authorities wouldn’t give two

hoots about what residents want,” he says.He says Kapiti Coast District Council only

gave other regional councils a weeks notice that they were going to put forward their remit at this week’s meeting.

He says councils need time to take a position on the issue.

Mr Shierlaw has put forward a notice of motion to Hutt City Council to be debated

during the annual plan process.His motion, which will be put to council in

April, is that local authorities should retain their decision making rights over water fluoridation.

He says discussion over fluoridation through the Annual Plan process will allow Hutt City Council to have a position by the time the remit is debated at the LGNZ Conference in July.

He says he encourages Petone residents to make their views regarding fluoridation known to the Petone Community Board and Hutt City Council in April when it comes up for discussion.

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SPORTPerfect seas for small field

by Steve McMorran

A drab and disappointing summer in Wellington may have been responsible for an unusually small field of swimmers that took part on March 2 in the annual Wharf to Wharf race from Day’s Bay to Rona Bay.

Although weather and sea conditions on the day were perfect, only 77 competitors took part in the race - down on the 2013 entry of 130 and well behind the 2010 entry list of 164.

Tim Fraser, who won the men’s open division, was the first swimmer home in 15 minutes, 30 seconds - leaving Casey Glover’s 2010 record time of 14 minutes, 22 seconds intact.

Fraser has been a regular participant in the race in recent years and was fourth behind Glover last year in 18 minutes, 27 seconds, in a race swum in windy and choppy conditions.

Jeremy Salmond was second behind Fraser in this year’s race, in a time of 15 minutes, 54 seconds, Royce Evans was third in 16 minutes, 16 seconds while Mike Humphrey, competing in the veteran men’s division, was fourth overall in 17 minutes, 14 seconds.

Eastbourne resident Rebecca Tohill was the

Tim Fraser (middle) won the race in a time of 15 minutes 30, followed by Jeremy salmond (right) and Royce Evans.first woman home in 18 minutes, 18 seconds, continuing her outstanding record in the race.

Organiser Mandy Holmwood said the smaller than usual field was a minor disappointment. She took heart from the words of outstanding local swimming identity Ray Gough, who has been involved in the race throughout it’s history, and who assured her that entry numbers have always fluctuated because of conditions and other considerations.

“Conditions were perfect on the day,” Holmwood said. “But there are a number of

theories about why the number of entries was much lower than in recent years.

“One of the main theories - and it’s the one that I tend to lean towards - is that it hasn’t really been a sea-swimming season.

“You have to bear in mind this is a sea swim - it’s not like other swims. It requires a great deal of training and in past years - I’ve been involved with the committee for about seven years - I always see people training but I haven’t seen as many training this year. Very few, in fact.”

Eastbourne Herald March 2014

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Transcript of Eastbourne Herald March 2014