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Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

17 November 2011

Last Saturday at Houghton Valley School: A feature of the long established school fair has been the extent of the community’s involvement beyond families with children at the school. Last Saturday was no exception. When a call for help went out through this email newsletter many locals responded with goods and offers of assistance on the day. People ‘came out of the woodwork’ to drop off hundreds of plants at a stall run by those involved with the community garden. Along with a raffle of vegetables this raised several hundred dollars for the school.

Great food and coffee at great prices, great music for – and from – young and old and the rain held off just long enough. Friendly, a generous spirit and plenty of what people wanted. Local MP Annette King was an early visitor (has she got something else on right now?) went away with plenty of plants to tuck into her garden.

It’s not a new House!: Residents along the Hornsey Road ridge below the Mt Albert water tank, with assistance from the WCC, have started a hillside bush regeneration project. A large area of established blackberry has been cleared in preparation for autumn / winter 2012 planting. The area will include the bus stop area, along with the bare part of the gully across the road. We have been working on developing Road Reserve land on this corner recently stripping it of Cape Ivy, blackberry, Kooch Grass, Ivy etc and replacing with natives. We will be applying for a grant to fund the provision of materials to build some steps and a walking track to connect the road with the southern Walkway on the ridge above. The gully was used as an informal community tip in the past and we are having all surface rubbish removed. We will keep you informed of progress as it happens! – James of Hornsey Rd

LOCAL CONTACTS:

The following was compiled for a leaflet handed out at the school fair; it’s an up to date list of contacts for local activities.

• Houghton Valley Community Garden: Turn up at 2 pm any Sunday to see what’s going on; see also the Houghton Valley Facebook Page;
• Hornsey Rd Neighbourhood Group: If you live in Hornsey Rd you might know what’s going on, otherwise contact James;
• Archaeological Dig: Will take place early next year on the site of the original dairy farm in Houghton Valley. See future issues of the newsletter or contact Grant;
• Friends of Buckley Rd Reserve: Planting group, contact Kate and Ian;
• TRiG – View Rd Reserve: Te Raekaihau Restoration Group for tree planting and weeding, contact Jenny;
• Alice Krebs Lodge: For bookings contact Brenda;
• Te Raekaihau Coast Care – seashore at Te Raekaihau Point: Planting and coast care group, contact Sunita;
• Upgraded Esplanade/Houghton Bay Rd intersection: Contact Norman for more information;
• Civil Defence Register: Contact Norman to register any useful resources you have;
• Houghton Valley PlayCentre: For session times see: http://www.wellingtonplaycentre.org.nz/index.php/find-a-centre-mainmenu-39/58-houghton-vally-playcentre.html (Link not current)

Regards, Grant and Norman

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

03 November 2011

HV Community Garden: more locals are discovering the garden. Some took advantage of the fine weather on Sunday afternoon to visit – see photo.

EVENTS CALENDAR

November 12, Houghton Valley School Fair:  Message from the school: Our fabulous Fair is just over 1 week away! Thank you so much to everyone who has volunteered so far – your help is really appreciated. HVS is a Decile 9 school, which means that the school gets less funding per child than Decile 1-8 schools and so we are more dependent on fund raising to do things like buy computers and pay for extra teaching resources.

We still have some jobs that need filling, so if you don’t have a job yet, please help out.  It is always lots of fun being on a stall, so don’t miss out! We need:

• 1 person for china smash
• 2 people for the bouncy castles
• 1 person for face painting
• 2 people for the henna stall
• 1 person for the treasure hunt (in the sandpit)
• 2 people for the spin art stall
• 1 person for the lolly lei stall

If you can help with any of these, contact Jane. We also need 4 – 5 people for a couple of hours to give people on stalls a break so that they can get food, go to the toilet etc.  Please contact Sarah if you can help with this. Or you can:

• Make a large salad for the salad stall – a potato salad, chickpea salad, pasta salad or roast veggie salad would be fantastic. You could do this instead of donating a cake;
• Make delicious little sandwiches or savouries for the Tea Room – these are really popular and sell well;
• Make a large pot of dal or veggie curry;
• Donate books, clothes and toys;
•  Give us lots of clean plastic shopping bags.

We still urgently need donations for the Silent Auction. Things that sold well last year were: artworks, furniture, ornaments, retro objects, quirky things (like an old fire extinguisher!), vouchers for things such as hotel stays, coffee, dining out etc. – anything considered.

We urgently need donations of lemons to supply the homemade lemonade stall at the School Fair. If you have a tree at home, know someone who does, or would like to donate some bought lemons for the cause, please contact Claire . Alternatively, if you would like to make some of the cordial and donate that, here is the recipe:

• Juice of 12 lemons (6 with rind on, 6 with the rind taken off)
• 8 cups of water
• 1 tbsp citric acid
• 1 tbsp tartaric acid
• 3 cups sugar (may need to add more if the lemons are tart) –

In a nice bottle, the cordial also makes a great Christmas gift!

Sweets, cakes and biscuits sell out fast so we need lots of baking done. Now is the perfect time to whip up some biscuit, slices, cakes, fudge or coconut ice. Store it in an airtight container and it’ll be fresh for the fair.

A wonderful single quilt is being raffled as part of the school fair. The quilt is available for viewing in the school office. Raffle tickets can be purchased from the school office $2 per ticket or 3 tickets for $5.

A fabulous wool knee rug/blanket (1 metre x 1 metre) made by some parents and Sandra (ex HVS parent) is being raffled for the fair as part of the craft stall. Raffle tickets and blanket are on sale in the school office ($2 per ticket or 3 tickets for $5).

Questions, suggestions, donations?  Contact Sarah.

November 12 Te Raekaihau Restoration Group (TRIG): We had another working bee again on Saturday 29th and finished the Peace Grove Loop Track. Dr Maggy Wassilieff also came and gave some good advice about what trees to plant in the open or under a tree canopy, which we can plant lots of and which only a few, and when we can make use of the karo and when it is better to chop it out, so we are now in the process of developing a Restoration Plan for the bushy area around the Alice Krebs House to turn it into something more resembling a South Coast Forest. We shall work on weed control and site preparation over the summer and plan to plant 500 – 700 trees next winter. We have another working bee on November 12, so come on up after the School Fair to the seat just beyond the cottage and the beacon (2 – 5 pm)  and help us with a bit more planting which we are fitting in seeing as there has been so much rain. For more information or to join our newsletter list email Jenny.

December 1,  Urban Agriculture Workshop 6 – 8 pm: Focusing on food distribution. Bring along all your ideas, including thoughts on People’s Markets, produce swaps, preserve-making workshops. Mezzanine Community Room, Central Library.

Neighbourhood watch: A car was broken into on Houghton Bay Rd. This time last year there was a mini crime wave, so everyone keep a watch out.

Regards, Grant

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

20 October, 2011

Houghton Bay intersection upgrade: Update from Stuart Bullen, Team Leader- Traffic, WCC. Planning is proceeding taking into account community input, with a November start to the work still planned. He will provide a copy of the final version of the plan, which will included in a later edition of this newsletter. The plan will include improvements to Cave Rd intersection as discussed with people on site, Traffic section are in discussion with Parks and Reserves about re-location of boulders to improve parking, foliage which obstructs view of traffic from Princes Bay will remain. – Norman

Track signs for the View Rd south and Te Raekaihau Reserve: These tracks have been named and soon signs will appear on the reserve. A map showing the tracks and names is below.Alice Krebs Lodge: A reminder that that the lodge can be booked if a night or two in the beautiful bush overlooking the coast is desired. It is fully self contained with beds, kitchen, shower and wood burner. Contact Brenda.

Neighbourhood watch: An unregistered white motorbike has been seen on the bush tracks between Buckley Rd and Houghton Bay Rd. It’s not a good thing at a number of levels, and its not permitted. If you see him you might like to point this out.

EVENTS CALENDAR

Saturday 29 October (1pm ): Launch of the Wellington South TimeBank at Island Bay community centre (137 The Parade). You’ll have the opportunity to sign up as a TimeBank member, and meet some of the other traders in your community.  Plus there will be food and games for the whole family, and music.

October 31, Community Preparedness Grant update: Several locals are in the process of preparing an application. The plan is to apply for funding for the following projects:

• Community Archaeological dig (planned for January);
• Welcome to new residents kit;
• Development of a community website;
• CD register.

If anyone else would like to contribute please get in touch asap.

November 12 Houghton Valley School Fair: Donations needed!  Contact Sarah .

Regards, Grant

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

6 October, 2011

EVENTS CALENDAR

Houghton Valley Progressive Association Meeting: This Sunday at 4 pm in the Community Hall.

October 15, TRiG Working Bee: “The Te Raekaihau Restoration Group (TRiG) met on last Saturday afternoon (Oct 1) and had a very enjoyable 3 hours cutting, pruning and forming about half the Peace Grove Track, which will loop around below the Alice Kreb Cottage. At the next Working Bee on October 15, (Saturday 2 – 5 pm) we will work on the track from the cottage end and meet up in the middle.” For more details contact Jenny.

October 31, deadline for the Community Preparedness Grant: Several locals are keen to put an application in. If you have any ideas of community based events that you think would benefit us all, let me know.

November 12, message from Sarah (the Houghton Valley School Fair Coordinator): “Donations needed! The fair is on 12 November, and we are in urgent need of donations of clean clothes, toys and books to sell at the Fair. Sorry, we are not doing White Elephant this year because of lack of space. The money raised from the Fair will go towards the building of a new classroom, which is urgently needed! I’m happy to come and pick up any donations. Many thanks.”

Houghton Bay History: In the 186’s and 70s the whole of Houghton Bay was part of a sheep farm, owned by Alexander Sutherland (aka Sutherland Rd). The following is another story told by his grandson, about Alex’s daughters:

“A few [Maori] families lived at Houghton Bay; and at the head of the valley of Houghton Bay, near the foot of Mt Albert, was another camp situated in a clearing surrounded by beautiful native forest.” Sutherland A. (1947), ‘Sutherlands of Ngaipu’, Pub: A.H.Reed & A.W. Reed, Wgtn NZ.

There is a photo album being passed around the area which is full of early Houghton Bay photographs. If you would like to see it, let me know and I will drop it off.

Regards, Grant

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

22 September 2011

HV Community Garden: we received several fruit trees this week from ‘Operation Green Thumb’, (www.communitygardenz.org.nz link not current) so on Sunday the gardeners will be deciding where to start a fruit tree grove.

EVENTS CALENDAR

September 25 (9.30 am – 2 pm) The Great Living Legends Muck-in: at the Berhampore Golf Course. Native trees are being planted to celebrate NZ Rugby Legends. Refreshments will be served after the planting. Register online at www.livinglegends.co.nz. before Friday. Go to the Wellington Town Belt in an area that passes behind Berhampore Golf Course west of Adelaide Road. Bring sturdy footwear, spades, gloves. 

October 1 (2 – 5 pm) TRiG Working Bee: The Te Raekaihau Restoration Group (TriG) will meet at the seat on the main track about 25m past the Beacon near the Kae Miller Cottage. We will be working on forming the beginning of the Peace Grove Track. We will also tidy and chop up some of the cleared material from the last two sessions. Tools needed are pruning saws, loppers, secateurs and spades for shelving the track.  Also gloves and afternoon tea. If you would like more information or would like to be on the TRiG newsletter list please contact Jenny.

October 31 Community Preparedness Grant: This funding application may be of benefit to locals. Check it out. (Link not current)

November 12 HV School Fair: lots of help is wanted with the fair. If you can assist, contact Sarah.

Houghton Bay History: In the 1860s and 70s the whole of Houghton Bay was part of a sheep farm, owned by Alexander Sutherland (aka Sutherland Rd). The following is a story told by his grandson, about Alex’s daughters:

’Houghton Bay itself was not of much interest to the girls, but frequent reference was made to the charming bush which clothed the sides of the valley right up to the foot of Mount Albert. After the citizens of the growing town had depleted the Bay shore of a tremendous quantity of drift timber they attacked this valley and tipped the logs over the steep hill bordering the bay’. Sutherland A. (1947), ‘Sutherlands of Ngaipu’, Pub: A.H.Reed & A.W. Reed, Wgtn NZ.

Regards, Grant

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

8 September 2011

Welcome to the new members. There are 116 on the email list now. This email news is a short one for a change:

Houghton Bay intersection upgrade: the new plan included in the last email newsletter generated several responses, which were passed onto Norman from View Rd. He has been unable to address these replies because is working on a project in Whakatane. However when he returns in the next week, he will be in touch.

Planting at Te Raekaihau – a message from Brenda: The Kae Miller Trust thanks Jenny and her team for the great work with the Peace Grove area. See photo above.

EVENTS CALENDAR

11 September at Waitangi Park 1 – 4 pm: bring your ‘worst weed’ from your garden and exchange it for a free native plant. There are other events happening as well during this week which is Conservation Week 11 – 18 September. 

17 September South Coast Cleanup 2011: for details go to: http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation-week-home/whats-happening/wellington-kapiti/wellington-south-coast-clean-up/ (Link not current.)

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

25 August, 2011

Hot off the Press! Houghton Bay intersection upgrade: Today we received an amended plan for the re-design of the Houghton Bay intersection from city council traffic engineer Stuart Bullen. He commented: “I am still in discussions with parks over the issue of relocating the boulders back slightly to allow vehicles to park and pedestrians to walk freely on the footpath. The proposed bollards although would improve pedestrian safety do not need to be installed if we believe that no safety benefits are gained.”


He wants to hear back from our community asap so work can be started in November, and finished for summer. Please have a look at the plan; better still take a copy down to the beach and see first hand what is proposed. One idea mooted earlier is locating the ‘pedestrian refuge islands’ on The Esplanade 30 metres or so further towards Island Bay.
 If there is sufficient interest I am willing to host a meeting next Thursday September 1 at 7 pm to discuss.  In the meantime please send Grant your comments for circulation, also advising if you would like to meet.
 – Norman

EVENTS CALENDAR

• Saturday 27 August: At 11 am a small group is going to meet and discuss plans for maintenance of the garden around the Alice Kreb cottage and ecological restoration of the Te Raekaihau headland. Other interested people are most welcome, but please note there will be a proper working bee the following weekend.
• Sunday 28 August: Planting at 10.30 am near the playground on Houghton Bay Rd – with the friends of Buckley Rd.
• Saturday  3 September: From 2 – 5 pm there will be a working bee up near the Alice Krebs Cottage on Te Raekaihau headland, and a variety of activities will take place around the cottage and the Peace Grove. Please bring the implement of your choice: a spade for planting or shelving tracks; a metal rake for rolling up tradescantia weed; a pruning saw or loppers for trimming karo; hedge clippers for cutting grass; and of course gloves and something for afternoon tea.

Stewardship debate: Do we want a system of Stewardship for Houghton Bay? What kind of community do we want to live in? Should it be a legal entity or just a communication network? Do we need vision statements? Is there a better word than stewardship? Would it include a local economic systems and sharing resources? These are some of the questions currently being asked in response to jenny’s initiative. Below is a summarised version of many locals views and a fuller account can be found on our Facebook Page.

• “The word Stewardship doesn’t sit well with me. I looked it up in dictionary. I think something like Community Living for Houghton Bay something with a co-operative feel. Where we live is about the people and the land together. I have been caring for the land for thirty years my relationship with that activity is very happy. I would like more of what I didn’t have in the past; connection with others. How can I connect with others who may be feeling alienated. How can we make Houghton Bay a safe haven for our children now and in the future? What can we offer in this way ? How do we sow seeds to help this grow?”
• “I suppose I see Stewardship as a coordination of all the projects within the area so that people are working for a common cause but in their own field. Hence the individual plans, but all worked up in light of what else is going on. I think this is an excellent first draft – the value of such a statement comes when all  proposed projects are measured against it prior to any decision to go ahead with, modify, or reject, them.”
• “Some people get clear by thinking/writing, others by doing things and building on what emerges. Similarly some individuals see what needs to be done and get on with it, others prefer to work in a group. There’s no right or wrong way for a community to progress apart from celebrating its diversity.”
• “And as Jenny points out, there are further layers of more focussed plans and documentation, which can usefully grow from such a start. I think that vision statements should be just that; visionary and that doing what the Council does (as in lots of words and paper) isn’t how the community needs to do it. Our experience with getting people along to plant is; you have to appeal to them emotionally i.e. have a good time, have some sense of connection, make them feel that they are involved with something really important.”
• I thought the idea of a vision is great. One thing that I think would be a community asset – and I realise this would have to come from the Council – is a couple of tennis courts. You may know there used to be two courts years ago in the school grounds. I like the ideas, I could also add transport/carpooling, and something about private sustainable development i.e. ideas and advice on solar energy and rainwater harvesting, home gardens etc.  Maybe we shouldn’t call them plans yet as it seems a bit official.”
• “An alternative to Stewardship could be the Maori word kaitiaki (guardian).”
• “I like decentralised adaptive models  and I have been thinking that if we were able to develop a really effective (and fun) communication network embracing the 4 – 500 houses, then maybe thats enough to activate stewardship i.e. if someone notices a problem on the tracks, locals broadcast it on the network, and it gets dealt with by those with the time and energy. Using mobile technologies is a possibility (apart from the lack of reception), and perhaps sound works could work (as we are mainly a valley), or light works.”

A Whanau Forest Project: The HVS Rainforest is a special part of Houghton Valley. Every student at HVS is part of a whanau, that takes care of the forest. Recently, the school received a donation of trees from the council and during the next four weeks parents and kids and teachers will working together planting and  caring for the rainforest.

Support for Houghton Valley community garden: fruit trees from Operation  Green Thumb will be arriving soon. Several bags of coffee grounds were delivered  thanks to Steve from Buckley Rd (Mojo coffee).

Regards, Grant

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

11 August, 2011

Welcome to new members, there are now 111 in the email group, which celebrates its first year in existence. Because the newsletter began as an email group for four locals determined to start a community garden, it also celebrates a year since the garden began. Above is a photo taken by Lucy of Houghton Bay Rd at the garden on Sunday, (no easy task thanks to a raging southerly).

Houghton Bay intersection upgrade: A dozen locals meet with Stuart Bullen (Team Leader Traffic
 Transport,
WCC) at the beach car park this morning to discuss options for the upgrade to the intersection. Stuart provided a revised proposal taking into account comments provided last week; the general consensus was this is an improvement. Stuart’s amiable attitude created an easy process; he took on board the comments today and will get back to us with new changes for comment. He told us that he has never received as much community response before. Work is expected to start in November. If you want to comment on this and see the map, see the last newsletter.

Stewardship for Houghton Bay: There seems to have been an explosion of ‘local’ activity in recent weeks. In addition to tree plantings (3) and meetings about civil defence and the intersection upgrade people seem to be thinking about where they live and how to make this community all it can be.  This includes discussion about what is a resilient model able to adapt and evolve? Jenny from Hungerford Rd came up with the idea of a vision statement and prepared something for others to think about:

“Houghton Bay is a thriving community with an active social, resource and community response network; a variety of locally generated events and activities; a healthy and cared for natural habitat; and regularly used communal lands and facilities for gardens, recreation and social interaction.

It seems to be the thing these days to show people like the Council that we know (and agree upon) where we are headed, so I thought the beginning of a Stewardship Plan is to have a vision for the future that we will work towards. I thought the Plan (or system) would be in fact a collection of more focussed plans such as:

• Natural Habitat Restoration Plan;
• Civil Defence Plan;
• Community Gardens and Orchards Plan;
• Events Calendar;
• Anything else people want to develop …

The main thing would be to establish what areas are designated, or could be used for a particular activity should people what to go further with it. I thought it might be cool to have a Houghton Valley Little Festival, which could be kicked off by the School Fair (rather than bringing in all the boring same old Hawkers that the others all have), and we could have walks and talks and playing field events etc.


This raises questions such as; if there was an effective and comprehensive communication network would systems activate themselves as needs arise?  Is local involvement with the upgrade to the Houghton Bay intersection an example of this? What do you think?”

This discussion is currently on our Facebook Page.

TimeBanking: A message from Nick of View Rd: “The Wellington South TimeBank is a community led project, supported by the Newtown Community and Cultural Centre. It is currently in its developmental phase, and we hope to have it launched by late Spring!”

What is TimeBanking?: TimeBanking is the trading of skills within a community, using time rather than money, as the measurement tool. As well as being a trading system, it can help to build new relationships, encourage local networking, and give value to people’s skills that we might not normally think twice about. TimeBanks already operate successfully throughout various parts of NZ, as well as in a number of other countries.  (Take a look at Lyttelton’s website for more info: http://www.lyttelton.net.nz/timebank)

Want to learn about TimeBanking in the Wellington South Area?: To register your interest and keep up to date with news, info and upcoming workshops, check out Wellington TimeBank.

Te Raekaihau Point planting: Around 20 people, some locals but mostly from beyond, benefited from a balmy Sunday morning to plant bushes, grasses and shrubs at Te Raekaihau Point. Many were members of the ‘Save the Point’ group, whose efforts a few years back resulted in the abandonment of plans to use the location for a marine education centre and restaurant. This planting is part of a $350,000 restoration and upgrade of the area by the City Council – mostly funded by the Plimmer Bequest – which has recently seen extensive landscaping and changes to parking.

Further information see: http://www.wellington.govt.nz/projects/new/teraekaihau.html. (Link not current.)

See photo on facebook (no photo).

EVENTS CALENDAR

Kae Miller Founding Day Planting: Saturday 13 August at 2 pm, there will be planting around the Alice Kreb Cottage – walk up the track leading from View Rd south to the airport beacon.  The planting is to honour and celebrate founding day and the founder Kae Millar. There will be scones and tea in the cottage.

Friends of Buckley Rd Planting: Sunday 14 August at 10.30  am to finish off what was started 2 weeks ago – meet at 125 Buckley Rd.

Basin Reserve bypass (Option X) discussion: Monday 15th August at 7.30 pm during the Newtown residents Association meeting at Newtown Hall, Daniel St, Newtown. The Architecture Centre are going to present the details of the alternative underpass plan – it’s a scheme that separates the state highway from the southern suburbs local traffic without a flyover with the aim of giving the city much more green space and a better less intrusive traffic flow in the area.

This is not able to be considered by NZTA unless lots of public support for Option X is received by NZTA before 26 August. 

School Fair: 
The ‘world-famous in Houghton Valley’ School Fair is on Saturday 12 November, put it in your dairy. They are seeking donations of good quality clothes, toys and books; if you are doing a clean out don’t just think about donating to the Salvation Army. Their silent auction needs items such as artworks, nostalgic toys, services, interesting bits of furniture, china or jewellery. They would love to get donations of produce such as lemons, tamarillos, apples, pears, rhubarb, navel oranges etc to make preserves for the deli stall. Even if you don’t have children at the school there are lots of ways to get involved such as knitting squares to make a blanket. Questions or suggestions, contact Sarah.

Keep warm, Grant

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

28 July, 2011

Welcome to new members, there are now 103 people on the list (a special welcome to ‘our’ community policeman, Dean).

Civil Defence Meeting:  30 people turned up to listen to Mark and Jo (from Houghton Bay Rd). Their knowledge about the range and impact of emergencies that could affect us was very informative. The next step is to develop a community response plan specific to Houghton Bay (which will be sent out in a newsletter).More photos have been posted on our Facebook Page.

Jenny from Houghton bay Rd was selling the emergency torch/radio/cell phone charger/sirens for sale for $40.00. If anyone wants one, contact her.

Houghton Bay intersection upgrade: below is a message from Norman of View Rd:

“Following Grant’s email late last week there has been a flurry of responses and phone calls about how to respond to Council plans to make changes to the Houghton Bay intersection. Because time is short I took the initiative to write to the Council on Sunday night – see below. I see this as a once in a decade opportunity to make a real improvement and am willing to put some time into co-coordinating the local response. If you are interested in getting involved please contact me.” 


To: Stuart Bullen
,Team Leader Traffic
 Transport Group Infrastructure
Wellington City Council.

Dear Stuart,

I am writing to you on behalf of residents in the Houghton Bay area about proposed changes to the intersection of Houghton Bay Rd and The Esplanade. We are delighted at this council initiative, the safety of users of this intersection is something discussed in some detail recently via the email newsletter circulated to 100-plus people in the area. This communication is intended as a first response to your request for feedback: 

• We wish to provide input to the re-design of the intersection as ‘people affected’, i.e. local residents who drive, park, walk, cycle, surf/swim/picnic and regularly pass through this intersection for recreation on the south coast and as a route to other destinations such as travelling to work and shopping in Island Bay and Kilbirnie: 
• There will be a number of people who wish to have their views heard and who have insights into the issues and solutions based on experience from living the areas for many years; 
• While we do not wish to hold up the work – hopefully it can be completed by summer – there  is insufficient time between now and July 29 for a community consultation process and our considered response;
• We are not traffic engineers but a number of people have raised questions with aspects of the proposal. Example of this are how they meet the needs of cyclists and also parking issues when ‘surf is up’. 

There are a numbers of ways for consultation to take place; ideas that have been mooted include first meeting with you on location to better understand the Council’s plans.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Norman

Planting natives: This Sunday with the Friends of Buckley Rd. Meet at Sinclair Park playing fields, 10.30-12.30. Then coffee afterwards! See you there, Ian and Kate.

Community Garden: every Sunday 2 – 4 pm. The garden is situated just north of the school.

Houghton Valley Progressive Association AGM: This Sunday at 4 pm in the Community Hall. The Association was formed in 1926 by locals to help the community (At that time it was called Haughton Valley). It has a rich and colourful history. For instance, the hall was nearly pulled down in the 90s, but saved at the last minute by locals. Many decisions made by the Association still resonate today.

Planting natives: At Te Raekaihau Point Sunday 7 August, 9.30 am. Meet at the Point car park. See you there, Sunita of Te Raekaihau Coast Care.

Community Garden first Anniversary, Sunday, 7 August: Celebrate with the gardeners at 3 pm in the garden.

Dave from Houghton Bay Rd: Dave has made a video, titled The Ego and Consumer Powerswitch and you can watch it here.

Keep warm, Grant

Houghton Valley Email Newsletter

23 July, 2011

This newsletter is normally sent out every 2 weeks, except when there are special announcements. See the plan of the proposed changes to the Houghton bay Rd and the Esplanade intersection. We have until the 29th to respond. (Attached letter missing.)

Many thanks to Janine from Houghton Bay Rd, whose subtle intervention persuaded the council to consult with residents.

Cheers, Grant

PS the Civil Defence meeting held last Wednesday was very successful – about 30 locals turned up. A summary of the meeting will be included in the next newsletter (28th July).